Vaccines, deworming protocols, good nutrition, joint care—all of these are important facets of equine care. But the cornerstone of your horse’s wellness isn’t a product or procedure, it’s an event: the physical examination. Many veterinary practices refer to this type of appointment as a wellness visit, for others it’s a health check. Whatever they’re called, these visits and their physical examinations tend to have similar goals and results.
When Susan and I established our veterinary practice, Werner Equine, back in 1979, the term “wellness” wasn’t as widely used as it is today. But that concept was firmly at the center of our mission. Wellness is a whole-horse approach to equine care that aims to prevent illness, injury and poor performance, rather than simply reacting to problems as they come up.
In keeping with this philosophy, we implemented wellness visits and exams before they were commonplace. Very quickly, this initiative became the foundation of the care we provided for our clients’ horses. Our wellness visits established a baseline of health for each horse, confirmed that vaccines and other preventive measures were current and suitable, and facilitated conversations with the horse owner, free from distraction or the stress of dealing
