Midwest Equine at Illinois

09/10/2025

Check out this spotlight on Rabeka Clarke, CTF! Catch Rabeka at Midwest Equine with the University of Illinois Farrier Service Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays!

Rabeka Clarke, a certified ferrier tradesman, grew up trail riding horses as well as riding on ranches in Oregon.

09/08/2025

Meet the Team Monday! This week meet our Practice Coordinator, Kristina Slaby.

Kristina holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology as well as a master’s degree in management, both from the University of Illinois. After working as a barn manager in the area for a year, she found her home at Midwest Equine. You will catch her doing a little of everything, helping in the office, in the clinic, and sometimes on the farm!

Kristina grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. When she was 8 years old, she started taking riding lessons and she has been involved in the hunter/jumper world ever since. While in college, she fell in love with hunt seat catch riding through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). She now teaches lessons and serves as assistant coach for the IHSA and Interscholastic Equestrian Association team.

09/05/2025

Thank you to everyone that joined us Tuesday night! We had a great time with a live demonstration of a lameness exam and hoof trim with lots of educational discussion!

One of MWE's greatest attributes is the collaboration of our farriers and veterinarians under one roof to provide the best possible care to your horse's hooves and whole body! Keep an eye out for our next Client Education Meeting!

09/01/2025

On this Meet the Team Monday, meet Dr. Kianna Taylor!

Dr. Taylor was born and raised in Rhode Island where her love of horses began. She started riding lessons in kindergarten and continued on competing in the local Hunter/Jumper circuit until starting veterinary school in 2019. Her undergraduate education was completed at the University of Rhode Island in 2019 with a Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science & Technology. Dr. Taylor graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2023 and completed her Equine Internship with Midwest Equine in 2024. She finished her Master of Public Health degree and began her full-time primary care veterinarian position with Midwest Equine in the summer of 2024.

In her spare time, Dr. Taylor likes to spend time with her friends and family, take her dogs Kash & Kooper for walks, and spend time with her pony, Handsome.

08/29/2025

A reminder that Monday 9/1 is Labor Day and our office will be closed. Emergency services will still be available.

Don't forget to join us Tuesday 9/2 at 6pm for our next Client Education Meeting! The University of Illinois Farrier Service and Dr. Sarah Foreman will speak about farrier and veterinarian collaboration, while demonstrating a brief lameness exam, pre-trim radiographs, a hoof trim, and post-trim radiographs on a live equine patient. If you haven't already, give us a call to RSVP. All are welcome!

08/27/2025

Read below so that you can recognize signs of choke in your horse. As soon as you notice signs of choke, make sure to call your veterinarian!

While it’s a common equine emergency, esophageal obstruction (“choke”) can look alarming, especially if you've never seen it before. Unlike in human medicine, where choking refers to a tracheal (or windpipe) obstruction, choke in horses refers to an obstruction of the esophagus (the muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach).

Most commonly, choking occurs when horses eat concentrated feed too quickly without chewing appropriately, which results in a firm bolus lodged in the animal's esophagus. However, esophageal obstruction can also occur with hay or straw, hard treats, carrots, or nonfood objects. Poor dentition, which leads to inadequate chewing, is also a frequent cause of choke.

While common, choke can have serious consequences. So, be sure to call your veterinarian as soon as you notice signs of choke. A bad choke is fairly obvious to both veterinarians and horse owners, but a mild choke could be confused with an upper respiratory tract infection or colic.

08/25/2025

On this Meet the Team Monday, meet Karen Wheatley!

Karen has worked at Midwest Equine since its inception and has worked at the Farmer City clinic for over 20 years! Karen works at our front desk and is normally who you hear behind the phone. Everyone loves Karen, and how well she knows the central Illinois area.

In her free time, Karen enjoys taking care of her paint horse, T-Bone, and pony, Cinnamon. She also cares for three cats. Back in the day, Karen showed Western and English Pleasure on two different mares in the Bloomington-Peoria area.

08/22/2025

Join us September 2nd at 6pm for our next Client Education Meeting with the University of Illinois Farrier Service and Dr. Sarah Foreman. They will speak about farrier and veterinarian collaboration, while demonstrating a brief lameness exam, pre-trim radiographs, a hoof trim, and post-trim radiographs on a live equine patient. Discussions will constitute a large part of the presentation.

RSVP by 5 p.m. on August 29, 2025, by emailing [email protected] or calling 309-928-2127 to reserve your spot.

Coupons for $20 off a non-emergent in-clinic appointment at Midwest Equine with our veterinarians or farriers will be handed out to attendees!

Coupons will be distributed to attendees following the event and are valid from September 2 through December 31, 2025. One coupon per client (new or existing) will be accepted and must be used at the time of the appointment.

08/18/2025

Welcome to Meet the Team Monday! Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for the rest of the Midwest Equine crew 👀 This week, meet Dr. Catherine Foreman-Hesterberg who joined Midwest Equine in 2019 as an Instructor of Equine Ambulatory Medicine and became Director in 2023!

Dr. Foreman-Hesterberg is very familiar with the horse community of east central Illinois as she was born and raised in it! She was on the back of a pony before she could walk and has competed in numerous disciplines through the United States Pony Club, but now as adult amateur rides and shows in the hunter/jumper industry. A graduate from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Foreman-Hesterberg likes to provide all possible treatment options in order to meet the need of her clients. In addition to providing primary care, dentistry, geriatric, reproductive, and emergency care, Dr. Foreman-Hesterberg also gained vast experience in equine sports medicine in Aiken, S.C., on some of the country’s best athletes—from barrel racers to eventers to racehorses. She is also certified in animal chiropractic and believes this modality of treatment is useful in all shapes and sizes of horses. In her spare time, Dr. Foreman-Hesterberg enjoys spending time with her husband and two young daughters, Charlotte & Casey, as well as her dog Petri, and riding her Thoroughbred gelding, Mac.

08/06/2025

If someone is taking care of your horse while you're away, make sure to let our office know! The AVMA has a great outline of what you should have prepared for any of your animals before you head out of town ✈

Provides guidance for pet owners to consider who is authorized to make treatment decisions if the owner can't be reached.

08/04/2025

Learn all about Laura Russman! Catch Laura at the clinic with the University of Illinois Farrier Service

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Meet Laura Russman, a farrier at .

"I have always wanted to work with horses for my career. I tried a few different paths, but being a farrier was the one I really seemed to enjoy the most. I liked the challenge and the ability to help make horses better on a daily basis."

👇 Learn more about Laura
https://bit.ly/4ofEruH

08/01/2025

Happy Foal Friday! Dr. Foreman-Hesterberg had the pleasure of seeing Sampson, a 10 week old mini donkey. We love caring for all equids, big and small!