EMC Success Stories

Spirit, a 5-year-old maiden mare, visited the Equine Medical Center last week with her 16-hour-old colt foal. After the foal’s birth, Spirit had displayed no affinity for her baby and had occasionally exhibited mildly aggressive behavior towards him.

Magnolia, a 10-year-old Tennessee walker-Rocky Mountain cross has been with her owner Alice for about 18 months.

Fabio, a 10-year-old American paint horse gelding, was referred to the Equine Medical Center last September by veterinarian Kent Allen, of Virginia Equine Imaging, after it was confirmed that Fabio had inflammation in his proximal suspensory ligament, which was not responding to shockwave treatment and rest.

On a chilly morning, Ivy, a chestnut Appaloosa maiden mare, surprised her owners, Jason and Jay, two weeks early with a very special gift, a beautiful blanketed filly! Veterinarian Sabine Taylor, of Taylor Made Equine Services, was called to check on the foal soon after she was born.

Flame, a 12-year-old Tennessee walking horse gelding, was referred for emergency colic evaluation back in February. After examination on the farm, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine alumna Shaylyn Crawford suspected a right dorsal displacement and recommended that Flame be transported to the Equine Medical Center for further diagnostics and treatment.

Last year In May, Commandalena, a 27-year-old quarter horse stallion, fell twice during evaluation for colic by his primary care veterinarian at his home farm. After the second fall, the stallion remained down for about an hour and subsequently was referred to the Equine Medical for emergency evaluation.

Savion, a 12-year-old Paso Fino gelding owned by Pam Oakley-Whiting, was referred to the Equine Medical Center by veterinarian Amy Hostedler, of White Oak Veterinary Service, for emergency colic evaluation.

Neon Hickory, a 17-year-old chestnut quarter horse mare whose stable name is Nicky, was referred to the Equine Medical Center by veterinarian Tyler Burdick, of Burdick Equine in Flint Hill, Virginia, for an emergency colic evaluation.

Figment Firefly, a feisty 11-day-old Morgan colt, came to the Equine Medical Center for treatment of an olecranon (elbow) fracture. His dam, Coachman’s Tsunami, stable name Sue, is a very special grulla broodmare that has endless patience for her rambunctious offspring and is very tolerant of Firefly’s continual antics!

Cuba, a 2-year-old Anglo-Arab colt owned by Kimberly Graves, was found down in his field, badly injured. Cuba’s primary care veterinarian Jennifer French, of Haymarket Veterinary Service in Haymarket, Virginia, was called and carefully examined Cuba’s right front leg, which bore a large laceration that stretched over the entire palmar aspect of the right front pastern. Cuba was fitted with a Kimsey splint and promptly referred to the Equine Medical Center for emergency treatment.

Buttonbush, an incredibly cute 7-day-old mini donkey colt owned by Lynda Smet of Amissville, Virginia, visited the Equine Medical Center with his dam Marley for emergency evaluation and treatment.

It’s no secret that horses can and do find trouble! Chickasaw Squaw, a 5-year-old quarter horse mare whose stable name is Chic, visited the Equine Medical Center in July for an emergency appointment.

Companero, a 26-year-old American paint horse, was referred to the Equine Medical Center for emergency colic evaluation. The gelding’s primary care veterinarian, Kate Baldwin of TreeHorse Veterinary Services in Biglerville, Pennsylvania, had treated Companero at home for a suspected colon impaction, but due to his continued discomfort, referred him to the Equine Medical Center for further diagnostics and treatment.

Thoroughbred Makeover candidate Otter, an off-the-track thoroughbred gelding owned by Hannah Schofield of Milestone Sport Horses in Lovettsville, Virginia, was referred to the Equine Medical Center for emergency colic evaluation and treatment.

Named after a “Game of Thrones” character, Daenerys, a 15-year-old gray off-the-track Thoroughbred mare whose stable name is Dany, visited the Equine Medical Center in late July for emergency evaluation of acute neurologic signs.

Bruges, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding, was participating in a local dressage clinic with owner Karen Anderson, of Garrett Park, Maryland, in the saddle when he took off across the arena, bucking aggressively. Totally out of character for this normally cooperative horse, this behavior abruptly ended Karen’s participation in the dressage clinic hosted by Grand Prix dressage rider Jim Koford.

At the end of September, Love, a 16-year-old American quarter horse mare, visited the Equine Medical Center for evaluation of swelling above her left eye. The swelling had developed over several weeks, and mucopurulent discharge eventually began to ooze from the area.

Lexus, an 18-year-old quarter horse mare owned by Pamela Patton of Millersville, Maryland, visited the Equine Medical Center for the first time in early 2019, for evaluation of right front lameness.

Last year, then-17-year-old Valido, an off-the-track thoroughbred gelding, was referred to the Equine Medical Center for computed tomography (CT) of his head.

After an altercation in the field with a pasture mate, Clementine, a retired, 30-year-old quarter horse mare, was found the next morning with severe swelling in her throat latch area. Constricting her throat, the swelling was causing breathing issues, along with a loud respiratory stridor.

What’s the Scoop, aka Reeva, a 9-year-old German riding pony mare owned by Brigitte Wehrs and her daughter, Ava, was referred to the Equine Medical Center in November 2020 by Mallan Willis, of Tidewater Veterinary Hospital in Charlotte Hall, Maryland, for a right front foot MRI.

If you care for or ride horses, you will at some point deal with thrush, a common bacterial infection in the frog area of the hoof. Less common, however, is canker, which can be difficult to treat successfully. Because it is not associated with wet or unhygienic conditions — as is the case with thrush — canker can occur in horses that are well cared for and receive regular hoof care.

Chance, a 26-year-old Rocky Mountain mare owned by Monika Robertie from Nokesville, Virginia, visited the equine medical center to evaluate her left eye. Her trusted companion, a donkey aptly named Donkey, accompanied her on her visit to the hospital.

On February 21, the birth of a silver-gray donkey colt in her pasture came as a complete surprise to Elaine del Cerro Yau of Warrenton, Virginia.

When Quarter Horse Crazy Face and her newborn filly foal Courage, owned by Pleasant Valley Ranch, Knoxville, Maryland, arrived at the Equine Medical Center for emergency evaluation and treatment, the newborn struggled to remain upright and was having difficulty nursing.

"So Charming," an eight-year-old Thoroughbred mare and her newborn filly foal, owned by Dr. Ronald Harris Parker and under the care of Shamrock Farm, Maryland, visited the Equine Medical Center for emergency evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.

When Tracie Karonis of Lovettsville, Virginia arranged for her 25-year-old Standardbred mare Sadie to get her annual vaccinations, she didn’t anticipate an emergency visit to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC).

Back in late March, a 12-year-old, in foal Thoroughbred mare named Countess Twice (Bee), owned by Eliza Laluna, from Barboursville, Virginia, visited the Equine Medical Center for emergency evaluation and treatment.

Picadilly Pete, a thoroughbred gelding, known affectionately at home as Dilly, was bred in Pennsylvania and foaled on March 28, 2010. Sired by Tekken (IRE) out of Truco De Amor, he won over $240,000 during his racing career.

How Low Can You Go (Cody), an 11-year-old American quarter horse, owned by Jill Cotten, from Laurel, Maryland, visited the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) in mid-December 2021 for dysphagia – a rare condition affecting a horse’s ability to swallow.

In September 2021, Fureina, at the time an 11-year-old KWPN Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Christin Jonas and her daughter from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, visited the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) for an emergency lameness evaluation.

After a multiple-day history of lethargy and lack of appetite and after treatment on the farm, Jennie, a 7-year-old donkey jenny, owned by the Maruca and Witt families from Leesburg, Virginia was referred to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) by Gabrielle Care, a veterinarian from Total Equine Veterinary Associates, Leesburg, for further diagnostics and treatment.

Snuggles, a miniature filly foal, and her mother were pulled from a horse auction in Pennsylvania by Colby’s Crew Rescue, an equine rescue based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Snuggles and her dam were referred to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center by Dr. Gary Kubala from Littlestown Veterinary Hospital, Littlestown, Pennsylvania, for further evaluation and treatment of Snuggles’ left hind lameness.

Lacey Assets (Lacey), an 18-year-old paint broodmare suffering a first-time bout of placentitis, and her newborn foal were admitted to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC), a teaching hospital of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, in Leesburg, Virginia, as an emergency.

Kit, a once perfectly sound horse owned by Michael Hillman, faced a dramatic turn of events when he became severely lame after a day in the field. Rushed to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Virginia, Kit underwent complex orthopedic surgery and an extensive 50-day rehabilitation journey. Despite the challenges, Kit is now on the path to recovery and expected to return to his home pastures later this month, thanks to the dedication of his caregivers and the success of his treatment, including pastern joint fusion and stem cell therapy.

Frederica Wheeler first met Trump, a dark-bay, non-gaited Tennessee Walker gelding, now aged 32, at The Greenbrier resort in Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Trump was named after the most powerful card in the game of bridge and is affectionately known at home as Trumpie.

Waterford, a Cleveland Bay horse, was the first homebred foal for Steffanie Burgevin, a longtime client and advocate for the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center.

Treating a sick foal is a challenge in itself but when they arrive one after the other in quick succession and are completely unhandled feral foals it adds a whole different level of complexity! Six weanling foals were transported to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) for emergency evaluation and treatment after being purchased at an auction by Colby’s Crew Rescue, based in Keswick, Virginia.