Rossdales Hertfordshire

15/10/2025

Join an informative webinar tonight, Wednesday, 15 October, when Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons Internal Medicine Specialist Emily Floyd will be talking on “Beyond Mud Fever – Skin Conditions of the Lower Limb”.

Hosted by BHS Ireland, the webinar will explore the wide range of skin conditions that affect the lower limbs of horses — from the everyday to the easily overlooked. This talk is designed to help horse owners confidently recognise and manage conditions before they become serious or chronic.

What the webinar plans to cover:
✅The true causes of pastern dermatitis (“mud fever”) and why treatment often fails
✅ How to identify Chronic Progressive Lymphoedema (CPL) and why early action matters
✅ Recognising immune-related and vascular conditions like vasculitis
✅The role of mites, fungi, and photosensitisation in leg skin disease
✅ Practical advice on treatment, management, and prevention
✅ When to treat at home — and when to call your vet

Don’t miss this vital webinar!! Give yourself the knowledge to recognise the symptoms and to get help when it is needed.

This webinar will count as 2 CPD points for the BHS Accredited Professional Coach Registrar.

Cost is £5 per person to join online or to access the webinar recording.

Click on the link below to book.
https://buytickets.at/bhsireland/177538

🐴🐴Join us for an important Equine Webinar🐴🐴

“Beyond Mud Fever – Skin Conditions of the Lower Limb”
Is it just mud fever… or something more?

Wednesday, 15 October 2025

7pm to 8.30pm

Presented by Emily Floyd, BVSc, CertAVP(VD), DACVIM, MRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine

Join us for an informative, vet-led session exploring the wide range of skin conditions that affect the lower limbs of horses — from the everyday to the easily overlooked. This talk is designed to help horse owners confidently recognise and manage conditions before they become serious or chronic.

What we plan to cover:

The true causes of pastern dermatitis (“mud fever”) and why treatment often fails
How to identify Chronic Progressive Lymphoedema (CPL) and why early action matters
Recognising immune-related and vascular conditions like vasculitis
The role of mites, fungi, and photosensitisation in leg skin disease
Practical advice on treatment, management, and prevention
When to treat at home — and when to call your vet
Don’t miss this vital webinar!! Give yourself the knowledge to recognise the symptoms and to get help when it is needed.

This webinar will count as 2 CPD points for the BHS Accredited Professional Coach Registrar.

Cost is £5 per person to join online or to access the webinar recording.

Click on the link below to book.
https://buytickets.at/bhsireland/1775386

Emily Floyd, BVSc, CertAVP(VD), DACVIM, MRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine

Emily graduated from the University of Bristol in 2003. She completed a residency in large animal internal medicine at UC Davis and became a Diplomate of the American College of Large Animal Internal Medicine. She works as a clinical director at Rossdales Equine Hospital in Newmarket. She enjoys all areas of internal medicine but has special interests neonatology and dermatology.

10/10/2025

𝐀𝟏𝟒 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝟑𝟓 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟑𝟖 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟏𝟑𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫

Please be advised that we have received notification from National Highways that the A14 will be closed overnight eastbound between junctions 35 (Stow Cum Quy Interchange) and 38 (Waterhall Interchange) for one week from Monday, 13th October.

To enable work to take place safely, the road will be closed weeknights (9pm to 6am) from Monday 13th to Friday 17th October.

Anyone needing to bring a horse to the hospital as an emergency case during these hours, please check your route before setting off.

For full details of these roadworks and diversions, please see the National Highways website.
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/east/a14-junction-36-to-42-resurfacing-and-drainage-maintenance/

01/10/2025

𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 '𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐞' 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜
𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟏𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫
𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐄𝐱𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐁𝟖 𝟕𝐍𝐍

Are you concerned that your horse is overweight or underweight and would like some expert advice? If the answer is 'yes', we are holding our next Equine ‘Weight Wise’ Clinic on the morning of Saturday, 15th November in conjunction with Dengie.

The clinic is FREE to attend and is open to all Rossdales' Newmarket and Hertfordshire clients, who will benefit from:

🔹A one-to-one discussion about managing your horse or pony’s weight with vet Lorna Brokenshire-Dyke from our Newmarket practice, as well as feeding advice from experienced performance horse nutritionist Claire Akers from Dengie Horse Feeds.

🔹Equine weigh bridge to determine the accurate weight of your horse or pony.

🔹Advice on how to minimise the risk of laminitis, and about conditions including Equine Cushing’s Disease (PPID) and Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS).

🔹Advice about body condition scoring and how to correctly use an equine weigh tape.

🔹Year-round advice for weight control and nutrition.

🔹FREE 'goody bag' for all those who attend.

Email 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠@𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬.𝐜𝐨𝐦 to book your place, stating approximately what time you would like to attend between 9.00am and 1.30pm, and we will do our best to accommodate your request. We will allow approximately 20 minutes for each appointment, or 25 minutes if you are bringing two horses. Please include your name, your telephone number and your horse's name in your email.

Please note that all horses and ponies attending will need to be accompanied by their passport and should have an up-to-date equine 'flu vaccination.
rossdales.com/equine-weight-clinic

29/09/2025

A FREE TO ATTEND day of talks from four of our highly experienced specialist vets at Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons and two expert nutritionists from Dengie Horse Feeds.

Find out more about this event on Wednesday, 8th October and how to register for your place at this event 👇

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 - 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥
𝟏𝟎𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝟑.𝟒𝟓𝐩𝐦

Join us at Rossdales Equine Hospital on Wednesday, 8th October for a day of informative talks from four of our veterinary specialists and two expert nutritionists from Dengie Horse Feeds. This is an amazing opportunity to hear from highly experienced specialist vets and nutritionists on a range of subjects. See the full programme via the link below.

Lunch is included and there will also be an opportunity to have a tour of our world class surgical and diagnostic facilities.

This event is free to attend and is a fantastic opportunity for anyone with an interest in managing nutrition and disease to optimise equine performance, including horse owners, instructors, coaches, veterinary nurses and other allied professionals, for which this day could contribute towards CPD hours.

Places are limited for this event. See full details and book your place now by completing the form here https://dengie.com/dengie-event-sign-up/.

29/09/2025

Rossdales Hertfordshire was pleased to sponsor a fence at the Cambridgeshire Pony Club Hunter Trial that took place yesterday at Trumpington in Cambridge.

A fun day was had by all competitors, with the lovely pony in the picture getting ready for her cross country round with her little rider!

25/09/2025

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲…𝐒𝐞𝐭…𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞!

Have you taken part in our 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲…𝐒𝐞𝐭…𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞! initiative to protect your horse from equine influenza?

Don’t forget: the 3rd vaccination in the primary course is now due to ensure your horse stays fully protected.*

✅ Book your appointment with your vet today
✅ Keep your horse’s protection up to date
✅ Stay ahead of equine 'flu

Timely boosters = stronger protection – let’s keep every horse safe and healthy!

Tip: While your vet is visiting, it’s a great opportunity to chat about other preventative healthcare, such as dental health or PPID/Cushing’s.

* The first vaccination must have been administered in March or April 2025, with only the cost of the vaccine included in this offer - visit fees will still be charged. Please note, the free vaccination only covers the third dose of the course.

Contact a member of our team now on 01462 790221 to book your appointment.

23/09/2025

Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons was proud to support the Newmarket RoR Show in the Peter O'Sullevan Arena at the National Horse Racing Museum on Saturday during the Newmarket Open Weekend.

Congratulations to the class winners and all who took part - so wonderful to see these ex-racehorses excelling in their second careers.

Retraining of Racehorses

18/09/2025

We’re pleased to welcome Hazel Birch-Ellis, who has recently joined our veterinary team at Rossdales Hertfordshire to provide maternity cover.

Hazel has worked as an equine vet within mixed practice since qualifying from the Royal Veterinary College in 2020. She additionally completed an internship at a leading equine hospital in Victoria, Australia, where she also worked as a locum vet at various practices and gained further experience assisting with racehorse sales preparation.

Her main clinical interest is equine medicine, particularly neonatal medicine and respiratory disease, although she enjoys all aspects of equine veterinary care.

Outside of work, Hazel breeds and shows pedigree Limousin cattle and Hanoverian sport horses with her partner in Shropshire. Hazel said: “I’m looking forward to working with the Rossdales Hertfordshire team and meeting clients, while continuing to broaden my experience in all aspects of equine veterinary practice.”

04/08/2025

𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 '𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐞' 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜
𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟏𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭

Is your horse overweight or underweight and you would like some expert advice? We are holding another of our Equine ‘Weight Wise’ Clinics on the morning of Saturday, 16th August at Rossdales Equine Hospital in conjunction with Dengie.

The clinic is FREE to attend and is open to all Rossdales’ clients, who will benefit from:

🔹A one-to-one discussion about managing your horse or pony’s weight with Rossdales’ vets Abby Richardson and Lorna Brokenshire-Dyke, as well as feeding advice from experienced sport horse nutritionist Claire Akers from Dengie Horse Feeds.
🔹Equine weigh bridge to determine the accurate weight of your horse or pony.
🔹Advice on how to minimise the risk of laminitis, and about conditions including Equine Cushing’s Disease (PPID) and Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS).
🔹Advice about body condition scoring and how to correctly use an equine weigh tape.
🔹Year-round advice for weight control and nutrition.
🔹FREE 'goody bag' for all those who attend.

Email [email protected] to book your place, stating approximately what time you would like to attend between 9.00am and 1.30pm, and we will do our best to accommodate your request. We will allow approximately 20 minutes for each appointment, or 25 minutes if you are bringing two horses.

Please include your name, your telephone number and your horse's name in your message.

Please note that all horses and ponies attending will need to be accompanied by their passport and should have an up-to-date equine 'flu vaccination.
rossdales.com/equine-weight-clinic

11/07/2025

Our vet Grace Twitchett has contributed an article to the August issue of Horse&Rider Magazine, which is available now.

Grace's article, 'Ready for anything', discusses how to deal with a veterinary emergency, what items you should have in your first aid kit, dealing with wounds, knowing what's normal for your horse (heart/respiratory rate etc.) and lots more veterinary advice and tips.

Find out more about what's in the August issue here
https://www.horseandrideruk.com/the-magazine/issues/august-2025/

16/05/2025

Our vet Grace Twitchett (fourth from right) recently volunteered her services at a BEVA Trust Education and Welfare castration clinic at Thrapston Livestock Auction, Kettering.

She is one of 543 BEVA Trust veterinary volunteers who have helped make a difference to the lives of more than 2000 horses in the UK. This has been achieved through participation in a total of 57 Education and Welfare castration clinics and is in addition to those BEVA members who have volunteered their services for overseas work with the BEVA Trust.

The BEVA Trust provides opportunities, support and funding to allow BEVA members to volunteer for projects that enhance equine welfare both locally and globally. It has worked together with the The British Horse Society for the past nine years.

Vets, nurses, students, and farriers have so far helped a total of 2,425 horses by volunteering their time and expertise at special clinics around the country. Coordinated by the British Horse Society, and with practical support from a number of other equine welfare charities, these clinics provide dental care, farriery, microchipping and passporting for horses identified to be in need, as well as castration and dental checks if required. A total of 1128 horses have now been castrated.

Grace said: “It was an amazing experience to be part of the Education and Welfare team at Thrapston Livestock Auction. The team approach to the way everyone works at these clinics is inspiring, with younger colleagues being nurtured and supported despite the high volume and pressure of the work that needs to be completed on the day. It is the reason so many of us want to keep volunteering. We had 13 horses attend the clinic with 11 castrations, and 13 Passported and Microchipped.”

The clinics have been generously supported by Zoetis, Bransby Horses - Rescue and Welfare, Blue Cross UK, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, World Horse Welfare and the RSPCA (England & Wales).

BEVA - The British Equine Veterinary Association

23/04/2025

Stephen Hagger’s beautiful Shire, Pelham Peggy May, foaled this fabulous filly at 5am morning.

Our vet Remi Munn attended to examine Peggy as she had retained the placenta, which following the administration of medication, she successfully passed.

Both Peggy and her foal, who has been named Pelham Daphne, are doing very well. After being overdue by a whole month, we think you will agree that the wait for Daphne's arrival was definitely worthwhile!

Pelham Shires
The Shire Horse Society