Equicall

14/11/2025

Come and join our incredible nursing team!! 🧡

Equicomms are expanding there team of call handlers.

14/11/2025

Huge thanks to our amazing imaging specialist vets, Ceri Sherlock and Alison Fairburn, for delivering such impressive presentations on some incredibly complex - and ultimately successful - orthopaedic cases. It was inspiring to see how these challenging cases are solved through their expertise, dedication, as well as our sophisticated imaging kit, especially the new CT machines!
We’re also very grateful to Mark Baker from Zoetis for his generous contribution and insightful update on equine herpes virus.
It was a delight to catch up with our colleagues from Hill Equine Vets and Equicall as well.
Safe to say… everyone agreed that CPD in a pub is definitely good education! 🍻🐴

09/11/2025

On Remembrance Sunday there are so many wonderful tributes on the pages of our partners practices but this is one of our favourites 🤍

I SPOKE TO YOU IN WHISPERS
By Neil Andrew

I spoke to you in whispers
As shells made the ground beneath us quake
We both trembled in that crater
A toxic muddy bloody lake
I spoke to you and pulled your ears
To try and quell your fearful eye
As bullets whizzed through the raindrops
And we watched the men around us die
I spoke to you in stable tones
A quiet tranquil voice
At least I volunteered to fight
You didn't get to make the choice
I spoke to you of old times
Perhaps you went before the plough
And pulled the haycart from the meadow
Far from where we're dying now
I spoke to you of grooming
Of when the ploughman made you shine
Not the shrapnel wounds and bleeding flanks
Mane filled with mud and wire and grime
I spoke to you of courage
As gas filled the Flanders air
Watched you struggle in the mud
Harness acting like a snare
I spoke to you of peaceful fields
Grazing beneath a setting sun
Time to rest your torn and tired body
Your working day is done
I spoke to you of promises
If from this maelstrom I survive
By pen and prose and poetry
I'll keep your sacrifice alive
I spoke to you of legacy
For when this hellish time is through
All those who hauled or charged or carried
Will be regarded heroes too
I spoke to you in dulcet tones
Your eye told me you understood
As I squeezed my trigger to bring you peace
The only way I could
And I spoke to you in whispers......

08/11/2025

It’s time for the 5th and final myth!

Myth #5
‘Our clients won’t like seeing an unfamiliar vet in an out of hours situation 😨’

This is a VERY understandable concern.

Horse owners really value the trust they have in particular vets and an emergency situation feels like the worst time to meet a new team member - the fear of their horse being gravely unwell puts them in an extremely vulnerable position.

Our experienced vets completely understand this and are practiced at providing reassurance from the first contact with the client. They will take control of the situation and aim to resolve the problem skilfully with patience, compassion and empathy. We regularly receive fantastic feedback from practices and individual clients about our vets who have demonstrated outstanding care in extremely challenging circumstances and we look forward to sharing some specific examples in future posts.

The Equicall vets quickly integrate into their partner practice (with clients adjusting in a similar way as they would to any other new vet that the practice may employ) and aim to slot seamlessly into the team with clinical handovers at the beginning and end of each shift.

The only thing they really miss out on is the practice Christmas Party which they will almost certainly be providing cover for! 💃 🪩 🎄

If you’re missing an Equicall vet in your practice to cover your Christmas party (and actually the entire Christmas period this year!) please do get in touch and see if we can live up to your expectations 🧡

06/11/2025

Equicall Myth #4: Equicall would cost too much for our practice…

FALSE! Equicall in most cases does not charge for providing their out of hours service 🚑🩺🧑‍⚕️

Equicall attempts to cover its cost by generating income from the emergency visits it attends which are charged directly to the practice. The practice is then able to charge those work back to their own client (adjusting their charges to meet their own needs).

In some cases where call frequency is low Equicall will charge a small ‘retainer fee’ as a contribution to the running costs of the business but in most cases the Equicall service is free to use.

The concept of Equicall aims to improve retention of equine vets within the profession and we see this as a huge benefit with far reaching consequences on our industry as a whole. By relieving vets of their out of hours duties we are more likely to keep experienced vets in their jobs, particularly those trying to juggle family life alongside their careers.

If you feel your practice may benefit from using our experienced equine vets and some valuable time off please do get in touch!

25/10/2025

Our third Equicall myth: Equicall only provide relief for 50% of an out of hours rota - FALSE!

Whilst the typical working pattern is to cover 50% of an out of hours rota Equicall actually provides 100% cover for some very special practices 🧡

Some equine practices prefer to keep ‘their half’ of the out of hours work to remain connected with their clients and to give their younger vets an opportunity to gain more exposure to emergency situations as part of their professional development. However emergencies continue to occur in normal working hours and it is often easier for the practice team to support their new staff within a normal working day. Overall the loss of the anti-social working hours for their hard working team is seen as a huge benefit and in those situations a practice might use Equicall to take on 100% of that responsibility for them.

Equicall are here for all practices, whatever their out of hours needs are. Please get in touch if you think your practice might benefit from either 50% or 100% cover of your out of hours work 📞📱and get ready to put your feet up during these cold dreary winter months!

23/10/2025

Stormy weather like that forecast for some areas of the UK on Thursday 23 October, can result in a large deposit of seeds from sycamore trees, increasing the risk of atypical myopathy among horses. Find out what you need to know right now to keep your horses safe with our essential guide below...

23/10/2025

Lovely post from Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic celebrating Alex’s achievements! 🥳

Congratulations to Alex Baldwin, who has successfully passed her synoptic examination and been awarded the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice in Equine Emergency and Critical Care (CertAVP EECC).

This prestigious qualification recognises veterinary surgeons, who have demonstrated a high level of expertise in a specialised field. Alex has dedicated several years of hard work and commitment to achieving this milestone.

Many of you will remember Alex as both a former intern and a valued member of the Bell Equine ambulatory team. She now works with Equicall, providing out-of-hours emergency care for Bell Equine clients.

Alex finds emergency work both challenging and rewarding—although she appreciates that many of you may only meet her during less-than-ideal circumstances!

16/10/2025

Equicall are continuing to expand into new areas and have various new positions becoming available…

Areas include (but are not limited to):
East Kent
Aylesbury
Reading
South Manchester
Essex
East Sussex
Some positions may come with the opportunity to travel around the UK and work in various different areas.

Please share with any experienced Equine Vets looking for a new challenge and keen to be part of a vibrant, enthusiastic and supportive team. We would love to find the missing pieces to our puzzle! 🧩

Feel free to send us a message or contact Ian or James via the website 💫

15/10/2025

In this ‘debunking myths’ series next up with have myth number 2!

Myth: ‘I’m a parent so Equicall wouldn’t work for me as a career’

False!

Many of our vets are parents - including both bosses! In fact, our employees with children have the following to say about Equicall as an employer:

🧡’Equicall is very family friendly - we all help each other out when stuck and Equicall understand that family come first’

🧡 ‘Knowing the rota over a year in advance enables us to make plans which fit around the family and organise any childcare needed’

🧡 ‘The rota enables us to have huge amounts of downtime which is so valuable when it comes to school holidays and reduces childcare costs’

🧡 ‘We work from home which means any time that is not spent dealing with emergencies is extra bonus time that can be shared with the family’

🧡 ‘Our clinical experience is valued and Equicall provides a way of being able to work in a meaningful way without spending hours every day out on the road which I used to find exhausting in normal equine jobs’

🧡 ‘Equicall occasionally offer part time / job share alternatives to suit parents who have cannot fulfil a full share of the standard Equicall rota - flexibility has enabled me to continue working in a fulfilling role’

13/10/2025

💫 Congratulations to Equicall vets Adam and Alex who have both successfully passed their exams and completed Certificates in Advanced Veterinary Practice (Equine Emergency and Critical Care) which they have been studying for alongside working for Equicall. 💫

They join many other members of the team who also hold Certificates in Advanced Veterinary Practice but this particular qualification is a new one and perfectly tailored to those of us who find working in the field of emergency work extremely fulfilling.

Well done Adam and Alex!! We are so proud of you and the effort you’ve both made! 👏

07/10/2025

We thought it was about time to debunk some myths about Equicall!

Myth #1: Equicall only provide out of hours relief to CVS practices

This is false: many independent practices utilise the Equicall service to give their vets more downtime and to enable more strategic sharing of the ‘out of hours’ rota.

We’d love some of those independent practices to say ‘hi’ in the comments 👋

And for those considering whether Equicall might be able to help your independent equine practice please don’t hesitate to drop us a message - we’d love to hear from you too! 🧡