Churchfield Equine Clinic

Churchfield Equine Clinic Equine Veterinary Clinic based in Pen*stone, South Yorkshire

Routine Care Made Simple — The Equine Health Plan​​ Keep your horse in peak health all year round with our structured an...
22/09/2025

Routine Care Made Simple — The Equine Health Plan​

​
Keep your horse in peak health all year round with our structured and affordable health plan.​
✅ Covers routine treatments – not insurance​
✅ Regular reminders and scheduled visits​
✅ Automatic yearly renewal​
✅ Great savings on preventive care​

Peace of mind. Healthier horses. Happier owners.​

Call to Action:​
Ask us how to sign up today!​
📞 01226763542| 📧 [email protected]

Zone Visits!​​Why not take advantage of our zone visit scheme? ​​For flat visit price of £30 you can have one of our Equ...
21/09/2025

Zone Visits!​
​
Why not take advantage of our zone visit scheme? ​
​
For flat visit price of £30 you can have one of our Equine Vets come and visit your horse for around half the normal cost.​
​
Zone visits happen every Tuesday to Friday depending on your location - please see the map for the day of your zone visit!​
​
All you need to do to book your visit is call the clinic more than 24hrs in advance of your selected day. These days are extremely popular so we recommend booking as far in advance as possible!​
​
Please call 01226 763542 to book on! ​
​
Zone visits are provided for routine healthcare and minor ailments, examples of these include:​
Vaccination​
Routine dental care and floating​
Blood samples for wellness and medication checks​
General health concerns​
Sedation to clip ​
Sedation for paraprofessionals (timescales allowing) ​
Re-examinations of ongoing cases ​
Passport and Microchipping ​
​
Only routine work may be booked in on yard visits, for more in-depth examinations and procedures an individual visit will be required, this is to ensure the treating vet has the time required to treat your horse effectively as well as ensuring we have the equipment to hand we may not normally carry or need an extra member of staff to assist.​
​
Please also note, due to the nature of the workload on these days we are only able to offer AM and PM slots when bookings are taken but can give you a more precise one hour time slots on the day. You will ALWAYS get a phone call from the clinic or attending vet 30-60 minutes prior to arrival. We are also unable to stipulate which vet is available to attend your call.​
​
Payment must be made at the time of booking or on the day with the vet, if you are not going to be present pre-payment is essential. Failure to do this will result in re-instatement of the full visit fee.

🐴 Has your horse been weighed lately?Even the best guesses can be 10–20% off – and that can make a big difference to the...
20/09/2025

🐴 Has your horse been weighed lately?

Even the best guesses can be 10–20% off – and that can make a big difference to their health and feeding!

✅ Keep your horse in peak condition
✅ Manage feeding accurately all year round
✅ Spot issues early

✨ Moss is kindly demonstrating just how important regular weigh-ins are!

🎉 Plus: the weighbridge is FREE to use at the clinic for everyone on the Equine Health Plan!

📞 Call us today to book your spot – let’s keep your horse happy, healthy, and perfectly weighed!

❓ What if my horse’s strangles blood test is inconclusive? ❓​Sometimes strangles blood tests are not a clear “positive” ...
18/09/2025

❓ What if my horse’s strangles blood test is inconclusive? ❓​

Sometimes strangles blood tests are not a clear “positive” or “negative.” Instead, they are inconclusive – and we know that can
feel really frustrating for owners.​

Here’s what it means 👇​

🔎 An inconclusive result shows that your horse has a low level of antibodies to strangles. This could mean:​

They were exposed a while ago but are no longer infected​

They are producing antibodies in response to recent infection​

They have been exposed, but remain carriers of the strangles bacteria​

Remember, your horse only has to have been exposed to the bacteria, you may not have noted signs of illness or sickness in
a minority of cases.​

💡 What to do next:​

Option 1: Wait 2 weeks from your first test and repeat the blood test. If the levels are the same or lower → it is unlikely your
horse has strangles.​

Option 2: If you don’t want to wait, a guttural pouch endoscopy can give a clear positive or negative answer much sooner,
often within 48hrs. This is a short procedure under sedation that tests a sample taken from the guttural pouches. This tests
for the presence of the bacteria itself, not the immune response. The sample is taken using endoscopy via the nose and is
tolerated well by the majority of horses.​

👍 Most inconclusive cases turn out not to be strangles – so don’t panic. But do keep your horse isolated until your vet advises
your horse is clear of infection.​

Below is a picture of a guttural pouch endoscopy for a horse infected with strangles

🌿⚠️ Poisonous Plant of the Week: Laburnum ⚠️🌿Laburnum, also known as the golden chain tree, is a striking ornamental pla...
17/09/2025

🌿⚠️ Poisonous Plant of the Week: Laburnum ⚠️🌿

Laburnum, also known as the golden chain tree, is a striking ornamental plant — but it’s extremely toxic to horses. The plant contains cytisine, a powerful toxin that affects the nervous system.

🐴 Signs of poisoning may include:

Colic-like pain

Excessive salivation

Incoordination or weakness

Muscle tremors

Convulsions

Collapse and, in severe cases, death

🚫 Why it’s dangerous:
All parts of the tree are poisonous — seeds, pods, flowers, bark, and leaves. Horses are most at risk in the spring and summer when seed pods and flowers are plentiful.

✅ What to do:
If you think your horse has eaten Laburnum, call your vet urgently. Even small amounts can be life-threatening.

🌳 Safety tip: Avoid planting Laburnum near grazing areas and check that paddocks do not border gardens where it may grow.

17/09/2025

Unfortunately, our clinic in Hoylandswaine is closed today due to a planned power outage. All appointments are still going ahead and we are contactable on our usual number for visits and emergencies. The clinic will be open as usual tomorrow.

🚨 Understanding the Strangles Blood Test 🚨​Strangles outbreaks are still one of the top reasons shows and events are can...
16/09/2025

🚨 Understanding the Strangles Blood Test 🚨​

Strangles outbreaks are still one of the top reasons shows and events are cancelled in the UK. Many yards now request our vet to take a strangles blood test before horses are moved, but it can be a bit confusing! Here’s a quick breakdown 👇​

✅ The blood test (ELISA) doesn’t detect the strangles bacteria — it looks for antibodies (the proteins the horse’s body makes after exposure to the strangles bacteria).​

The test has three outcomes: Positive, Inconclusive and Negative depending on the level of antibodies in your horse's blood​

💉 A positive or inconclusive blood test could mean:​
1️⃣ The horse is currently infected​
2️⃣ The horse is a carrier (infected but showing no signs)​
3️⃣ The horse had strangles but is now recovered, usually in the past 6-12 months​

❌ A negative blood test usually means strangles-free, but if the horse was exposed in the last 2 weeks, the result could be a false negative.​

🔍 If a test comes back positive or inconclusive→ the next step is usually a guttural pouch endoscopy​

⚠️ Key things to remember for yard owners and horse owners:​

Always isolate new arrivals for at least 2 weeks – even with a negative test.​

Carriers can look perfectly healthy but still spread disease.​

Don’t panic at a positive or inconclusive test – most turn out not to be carriers after further testing but it is important to isolate a positive case until it is deemed negative.​

Keeping yards safe means good testing + sensible isolation 🐴💙​
📊 We’ll be sharing some example results below to help you understand what they really mean.
If you’re unsure about results or considering strangles testing for new arrivals on your yard, give the clinic a call 📞 01226 763542 and speak to one of our vets.

🔬🐴 This Week at Churchfield Equine Clinic 🐴🔬We know that Strangles blood test results can be confusing – so this week, w...
15/09/2025

🔬🐴 This Week at Churchfield Equine Clinic 🐴🔬

We know that Strangles blood test results can be confusing – so this week, we’ll be breaking them down and explaining exactly what they mean for your horse. 💡

👉 What do the different results mean?
👉 How should you act on them?

Follow along at 19:00 for the next couple of days, as we make sense of the results and help give you peace of mind when it comes to your horse’s health. 💙🩺

📞 Got questions already? Contact our team at Churchfield Equine Clinic and we’ll be happy to help.

Throwback Thursday 🐄➡️🐎We think this aerial shot dates back to the 1970s, when Churchfield Equine Clinic was still a wor...
11/09/2025

Throwback Thursday 🐄➡️🐎
We think this aerial shot dates back to the 1970s, when Churchfield Equine Clinic was still a working cow farm! 🐄✨ Churchfield Vets has been caring for animals since the 1930s, and in 1998 we moved here to Heeley Inn Farm to continue that journey. Incredible to see the transformation from cows to horses and how far we’ve come!

🌿⚠️ Poisonous Plant of the Week: Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) ⚠️🌿Laurel is a very common garden shrub often used in hedg...
10/09/2025

🌿⚠️ Poisonous Plant of the Week: Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) ⚠️🌿

Laurel is a very common garden shrub often used in hedging — but it’s also highly toxic to horses. The plant contains cyanogenic glycosides, which release cyanide when chewed or digested.

🐴 Signs of poisoning may include:

Excessive salivation and frothing

Breathing difficulties

Muscle weakness and staggering

Colic-like symptoms

Convulsions

Collapse, which can be fatal in severe cases

🚫 Why it’s dangerous:
All parts of the plant are poisonous — especially the leaves. Fallen or pruned branches left in a field can be just as harmful as the living hedge.

✅ What to do:
If you suspect your horse has eaten Laurel, contact your vet immediately. This is a genuine emergency — quick treatment can make the difference.

🌱 Top tip: Check paddock boundaries and never throw garden clippings into fields. What looks like “extra forage” could be deadly.

Why not take advantage of our zone visit scheme? ​​For flat visit price of £30 you can have one of our Equine Vets come ...
07/09/2025

Why not take advantage of our zone visit scheme? ​
​
For flat visit price of £30 you can have one of our Equine Vets come and visit your horse for around half the normal cost.​
​
Zone visits happen every Tuesday to Friday depending on your location - please see the map for the day of your zone visit!​
​
All you need to do to book your visit is call the clinic more than 24hrs in advance of your selected day. These days are extremely popular so we recommend booking as far in advance as possible!​
​
Please call 01226 763542 to book on! ​
​
Zone visits are provided for routine healthcare and minor ailments, examples of these include:​
Vaccination​
Routine dental care and floating​
Blood samples for wellness and medication checks​
General health concerns​
Sedation to clip ​
Sedation for paraprofessionals (timescales allowing) ​
Re-examinations of ongoing cases ​
Passport and Microchipping ​
​
Only routine work may be booked in on yard visits, for more in-depth examinations and procedures an individual visit will be required, this is to ensure the treating vet has the time required to treat your horse effectively as well as ensuring we have the equipment to hand we may not normally carry or need an extra member of staff to assist.​
​
Please also note, due to the nature of the workload on these days we are only able to offer AM and PM slots when bookings are taken but can give you a more precise one hour time slots on the day. You will ALWAYS get a phone call from the clinic or attending vet 30-60 minutes prior to arrival. We are also unable to stipulate which vet is available to attend your call.​
​
Payment must be made at the time of booking or on the day with the vet, if you are not going to be present pre-payment is essential. Failure to do this will result in re-instatement of the full visit fee.

Address

Heeley Inn Farm
Barnsley
S368AA

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+441226763542

Website

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