Dedicated to horse health and the future of veterinary medicine

On October 15, 2007, years of planning culminated to welcome nearly 1,000 horse lovers to the new $14 million, 50,000-square-foot University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine Leatherdale Equine Center (LEC).

Donor support made the facility possible, which would come to represent the College’s dedication to education for future veterinarians and a research focus that would change horses’ lives worldwide.

Ten years later, the Leatherdale Equine Center has exceeded those aspirations and more.

Breaking new ground in equine instruction

A decade after launching the LEC, veterinary students and staff are enjoying additional equipment, opportunities, and techniques that further the training of equine veterinarians and increase the odds of a precise diagnosis and treatment.

The College’s equine curriculum includes third year courses in equine medicine. In the fourth year, an equine track is available for students wishing to be strictly equine veterinarians. For practicing veterinarians, continuing education provides opportunities for lifelong learning.

Some faculty, such as Erin Malone, DVM, PhD, DACVS, professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine and director of the College’s clinical skills program, remember teaching equine medicine and surgery in the Large Animal Hospital before the LEC was built. “Students now have improved access for practicing physical exams, as well as increased exposure to the DVMs and other staff,” she says. “In the past, students learned skills during lab but didn’t have any way to practice. Now they have the Practice Zone.”

Created in 2015, The Practice Zone has surgery tables, an anesthesia machine, small animal models, and a model horse head that allows students to practice eye and nose treatment. Its centerpiece is “Princess Neigha,” an equine model with intestinal and reproductive tracts. “We’ve really ramped up clinical skills teaching and offer more hands-on skills opportunities,” says Sally Lightner, laboratory services coordinator for Malone.

And, technological updates, which further the immersive nature of the LEC’s approach to education, abound.

The standing MRI captures hoof, pastern, and fetlock images while the 3T MRI adjusts higher to cover hocks and knees. A new neonatal ICU has specialized monitoring equipment and a crib area, allowing nursing and medical care to take place while mares and foals remain in contact. The hospital’s new gastroscope provides remarkable image quality and allows standing stomach exams on even the largest horses. Meanwhile, a new, wireless telemetric ECG unit allows clinicians to evaluate the electrical activity of a horse’s heart.

Hands-on experience, cutting-edge technology, and inspiring instructors are among the benefits of a University of Minnesota equine veterinary education. As Anna Firshman, associate professor of large animal internal medicine in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine says: “Better facilities equal better learning, and happier horses equal safer learning.”

This story was repurposed from two stories by Sue Kirchoff and Karin Winegar that originally appeared in the Leatherdale 10th anniversary brochure.

An evergreen education

By Karin Winegar

Alumni look back with gratitude at aspects of the many relevant experiences and practical opportunities provided at the LEC.

Melanie Jackson, ’15 DVM
“State-of-the-art equipment, the arena for doing lameness testing, the advanced imaging capacities, and a design with horses in mind to limit further injury to horses and to humans—it is all there,” says Melanie Jackson, ’15 DVM, associate veterinarian at We Care Animal Hospital in Clintonville, Wisc.

“The LEC staff is amazing, the technicians fantastic,” Jackson says. “They care about what they do and about all the animals that come through, and are always willing to help students. All the professors, teachers, and clinicians made sure we were learning and providing the best medicine for all our patients.”

Casey Rabbe, ’14 DVM
Casey Rabbe, ’14 DVM owns an equine ambulatory practice in Fairmont, Minn., and a small-animal practice in Ankeny, Iowa, where she lives with her clinic partner and husband, Dane Tatarniuk, DVM, ’15 MS, DACVS-LA, a former LEC instructor in surgery and lameness.
“I use everything I learned at LEC,” says Rabbe. The U’s research herd was particularly useful, she says, for instruction in reproductive medicine, vaccines, exams, and blood draws.

Rabbe chose the University of Minnesota because of the LEC’s great reputation for clinicians and teachers. “I got a lot of one-on-one attention with doctors,” she notes. “They all knew your name, knew a bit about you, and the areas you were interested in—that meant a lot to me.” Rabbe still calls many CVM faculty to consult on cases and stay in touch. “Not only are they great instructors, but I respect them as people.”

Alex Bianco, ’11 DVM, DACVIM
“As a student, you don’t really realize how good you have it until you get out into practice or talk to students from other schools,” says Alex Bianco, ’11 DVM, DACVIM, who joined the CVM faculty as an instructor after completing her specialty training at Purdue University. “You are much more influenced by the clinicians and teachers than you are by equipment or research.”

Both as student and instructor in large animal internal medicine, Bianco found that the LEC’s ratio of technicians to clinicians “allows everyone to spend more time discussing cases and teaching without worrying that patient care is suffering.” She says she feels fortunate to have gone to the U as an equine-oriented veterinary student.

Encouraging a foal’s will to live

By Martin Moen

It’s no exaggeration to say that Ghazillionheir CA is like a cat with nine lives—the 4-month-old Arabian foal is defying the odds. To start with, he’s the product of 20-year-old semen. Add in his difficult journey to good health, and it is remarkable to see him thriving at his mother’s side in a stable at Conway Arabians outside Chatfield, Minn.

“He just didn’t look right,” is how owner Lori Conway remembers Ghazillionheir CA’s early days. “You could tell he didn’t feel well—wasn’t eating or as active as we like our new foals to be.”

Three days after his birth, Conway decided to bring the foal to the Piper Equine Hospital at the LEC. The foal and his dam were quickly loaded onto the trailer the Conways keep prepped and ready for emergencies like these.

It proved to be a wise decision. Conway Arabians—recognized as a premier breeder of Arabian and half-Arabian horses in North America—has been bringing their more challenging cases to the Piper Equine Hospital for five years. The farm currently has more than 150 horses and saw a record 23 foals born in 2017.

“Our foals are incredibly valuable,” says Lori’s husband, Peter, who purchased his first Arabian more than 25 years ago. “In our business model, we need successful pregnancies and great medical care. And we get that from our local veterinarians as well as the team at Piper Equine.”

When Ghazillionheir CA arrived at Piper Equine Hospital, Anna Firshman, BVSc, PhD, DACVIM, DACVSMR, associate clinical professor in large animal internal medicine, and her team noted his critical condition. After initial tests and imaging, abdominal surgery was deemed necessary. Led by Francisco Rodriguez, DVM, the surgical and anesthesia team removed five feet of dead intestine, presumed to be due to severe enteritis.

“This condition isn’t uncommon,” Firshman says, “but you don’t often see a positive outcome. He definitely has a strong will to live. Getting him here so quickly and rapidly instituting specialized treatment likely saved his life.” Ghazillionheir CA spent 11 days in the hospital, where large animal resident Brittany Welch, DVM, veterinary students, and technicians made sure he received the best possible care.

Firshman says it is partnerships like these—dedicated owners, experienced local veterinary care, and high-level expertise at a regional medical center—that ensure a strong future for Minnesota’s equine community.

Photo by Peter Conway