Focus
In each issue of
Equine Matters
we
feature a brief insight into
a selection of the veterinary
surgeons who make up XLEquine.
Featured in this
issue are Anna Jesse, Fiona Elliott
and Sinéad Kenna...
Vet
Fiona is a senior assistant equine veterinary surgeon at Hook Norton Veterinary Group
in Oxfordshire.
Fiona graduated from Bristol University in 2001 and spent 18 months in Herefordshire in mixed
practice, before moving to an equine practice in Essex. She started at Hook Norton Vets in 2004.
She enjoys many aspects of equine practice including anaesthesia and wound management,
getting great satisfaction out of working with the competition horse and maximising its potential.
Fiona enjoys looking at the whole picture with respect to lameness and performance and so last
year completed a post-graduate veterinary course; combining this with acupuncture and conventional
veterinary medicine has led to much success in enhancing a horse’s performance.
In her free time she runs an equine rehabilitation centre with a cold saltwater hydrotherapy spa
with her husband as well as travelling round the country and Europe watching her home-produced
horse event internationally.
Fiona Elliott
BVSc MRCVS
Sinéad Kenna is an assistant equine veterinary surgeon at Calweton Veterinary Group in
East Cornwall.
Sinéad graduated from the University of Nottingham in July of 2015. She started working at
Calweton Equine in Callington, Cornwall in August of 2015, doing mostly equine ambulatory
work. Her days are spent looking after the horses, ponies and donkeys of East Cornwall and West
Devon, and she loves it! Her particular interests lie in lameness and musculoskeletal disorders, and
behaviour in horses and ponies.
Outside work Sinéad spends much of her free time working with young and problem horses,
riding and competing. She is very lucky to have moved back home to the area in which she grew
up, on the edge of Dartmoor. It’s a beautiful area and she really enjoys walking the dogs, rock
climbing, and her dad’s roast dinner!
Sinéad Kenna
BVM BVS MRCVS
Anna Jesse is a senior assistant veterinary surgeon at St Boniface Veterinary Clinic in
mid Devon.
Anna qualified from Cambridge University in 2009 and moved straight to Devon to work in a
mixed practice with a significant equine case-load. Having ridden all her life she enjoys working
with horses both in and out of work and has a particular interest in dermatology (skin problems). She
is currently working towards an RCVS Advanced Veterinary Practitioner qualification in dermatology.
In 2012 Anna joined St Boniface and started to help expand the equine side of this large mixed
practice. In December 2014 St Boniface was able to obtain its own equine facilities, and take on
another equine vet.
Outside work Anna enjoys walking in the stunning Devon countryside and renovating a recently
purchased 15th Century cottage. Anna is a volunteer for a national charity called Contact The
Elderly, which helps combat feelings of isolation and loneliness in vulnerable elderly people.
Anna Jesse
MA VetMB MRCVS
Within the veterinary profession there are traditional privately
owned practices and others that are part of a larger corporate
group. XLVets Equine practices fall into the first category and
as we are owned and run by vets, any decisio s that are m de
come with a sound ethical and clinical backing from the vets
on the ground that are treating your horses.
XLVets Equine is the equine specialist
division of XLVets, which founded in 2005,
is a unique group of veterinary practices
which span the length and breadth of the
country, from Penzance to Orkney. Our
member practices range from large equine
referral hospitals to mixed veterinary
practices with an equine component,
incorporating over 100 equine vets.
Our aim is to work collaboratively and
cooperatively to share resources, learning
and clinical skills to deliver a high level of
customer care and equine welfare.
Whilst, like any business there is a need
to generate profit, the drive for this is to
reinvest in the facilities, equipment and
staff who are there to give your equine
friends the very best. A quality veterinary
practice will always be progressive in
exploring new ways to deliver excellent
care to you as horse owners.
As a horse owner this gives reassurance that
if your horse, pony or donkey is treated by
a practice carrying the XLVets Equine brand,
you will have the personal approach that
you have come to expect from your local
independent veterinary practice, and the
backing of one f the most respected
groups of v ts in the cou try - the only
collaborative group of its kind.
XLVets Equine
practices work together
to share knowledge and skills, to ensure
together we are equipped to keep your
horses well and healthy. XLVets Equine
vets very much focus on helping you keep
your horses fit, not just treating them
when they are ill.
There are many ways you can get
involv d with XLVets Equine including
our healthcare campaigns such as
‘Keep one step ahead’ and our practical
vet-led EquineSkills training workshops
- visit
www.xlequine.co.ukfor more
information.
XLVets Equine
provid s a quality
assurance mark for xc llent equine care.
We are proud to be associated with
XLVets Equine and hope that you will
feel proud of your practice too.
XLVets Equine and your veterinary
practice
- what does it m an?
www.xlequine.co.ukI am very grateful for
the c llab rativ yet skilled
approach you take, and the
sensitive way in w ich you
deal with the difficult
dilemmas e all face as
horse owners.
“
”
C Hopkins
Kingston