Equine Matters - Summer 2016

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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. XLEquine practices fall into the first category and as we
are owned and run by vets, any decisions that are made come
with a sound ethical and clinical backing from the vets on the
ground who are treating your horses
XLEquine is the equine specialist division of
XLVets which, founded in 2005, is a unique staff who are there to give your equine
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
friends the v ry 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 XLEquine
brand, you will have the personal approach
that you have come to expect from your
local independent veterinary practice, but
the backing of one of the most respected
groups of vets in the country - and the
only collaborative group of its kind.
XLEquine practices work together to
share knowledge and skills, to ensure
together we are equipped to keep your
horses well and healthy. XLEquine 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 XLEquine including our
healthcare camp igns such as ‘Keep
one step ahead’ and our practical
vet-led EquineSkills training workshops
- visit for more
information.
XLEquine provides quality assurance
mark for excellent equine care. We are
proud to be associated with XLEquine
and hope that you will feel proud of
your practice too.
XLEquine and your veterinary
practice - what does it mean?
I 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