Veterinary clinic
The school possesses its own ultramodern veterinary clinic, equipped with a surgical unit, a X-ray and scan suit, a treatment room and 10 pre-and post-operative boxes, with a quarantine area to isolate newly arrived or contagious horses.
Three veterinarians, two nurses and a trainer practise the usual care and the surgical operations. They assure the daily follow-up of horses to guarantee their well-being and their performances. The most frequent pathologies being tendonitis, lameness, stomach pains, and very rarely breaks. Around thirty interventions are practiced every year. The clinic is also opened to outside veterinarians who can rent installations. Vets and nurses pass daily in stables and everyone (rider, trainer, pupil) is part of the individual care of each horse.
The clinic is also at the service of the Pole France for the veterinarian follow-up of the horses of the France team.
The farriery
Five farriers work full-time in the school's forge. Here, we shoe English-style: the farrier works alone, while they are two to shoe French-style.
"No foot, no horse", as a saying from the world of horse riding, underlining the importance of the operation. At Saumur, hooves are trimmed and shod every 4 to 6 weeks. Bought in large quantities, horseshoes are heated, shaped and individually fitted to the horse. Then, they are fixed by bevelled nails. The hoof not being innerved, the horse doesn't feel any pain. One hour is necessary to shoe a horse and each farrier looks after about 80 horses.
Veterinarians and farriers work in cooperation to treat tendonitis and lameness. The adaptation and the installation of orthopaedic horseshoes being sometimes necessary to correct defective balances or warn some lameness.
