An Indiana Veterinarian Specializes in the Treatment of Horses

Located in the gently rolling terrain north of Richmond, Indiana, the East River Equine Hospital is in the middle of horse country. Dr. Lance Alexander, DVM, owner of the facility, has established one of the finest "equine patient only" vet clinics in this part of the country.

Dr. Alexander graduated from Oregon State University and has been a licensed veterinarian for ten years. The last seven years he has restricted his practice to horses. The East River Equine Hospital was opened two years ago at 3251 State Road 227 N, Richmond, Indiana, 47374.

The day this author interviewed Dr. Alexander at his ultra modern clinic two patients were in the facility. The first horse was the son of the winner of the 2000 Kentucky Derby, at the clinic for continued treatment of a leg injury. His owner shared that this four year old was a rescue animal.

Another horse was in the midst of having a new horse shoe fitted to a front hoof. Enter the high tech methods used by Dr. Alexander. He showed me an X-ray of the horses hoof, explaining that the last bone in this leg was slightly off center of where it should be, resulting in an angle of impact of the hoof that was detrimental to the animal. By using the X-ray, Alexander was able to measure the actual angle of a steel horse shoe required for the correction.

Also on site at the clinic was John Unzicker, a blacksmith/farrier from Oxford, Ohio. Unzicker has a complete blacksmith shop in the back of his truck, and his anvil and forge were in use as he shaped and prepared to fit the custom shoe to the hoof of the horse. This was an amazing blend of both the old time methods of horse shoeing with the high tech use of X-rays and the geometry of the anatomy of a horse's leg and hoof.

This equine hospital is equipped with individual facilities for just about any circumstance that requires treatment. Stalls are available for 'in patient' work. One larger stall is designed strictly for use when a mare is ready to foal (give birth). A new sterile operating room was under construction, including a padded side room where the horse will receive anesthetic prior to surgery.

Dr. Alexander explained that about 80% of his patients are brought by trailer to his hospital. He still makes some farm calls, mostly for the vaccinations of animals requiring certified health papers for transport, racing or showing.

Veterinary medicine is now trending towards single species specialization according to Dr. Alexander. "Within the next ten years or so, I expect you will take your dog to one vet clinic and your cat to a different cat only clinic," he said. "Of course, there may not be enough llamas in any area to justify a llama only vet," he added with a smile. Each vet school study track trains vets in all species, and vets are licensed in all species upon completion. However, Dr. Alexander explained that it is common for vet students to begin species specialized study in the third year of vet school. This sets the stage for a career path in the health care and treatment of one species only. Dr. Lance Alexander, DVM, is proving that a specialized veterinary practice can not only be very successful, but also provide a valuable service to the agricultural community.

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Tour of East River Equine Hospital