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Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital facts for kids
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| Equine veterinarians | |
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| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | 2150 Georgetown Road Lexington, Kentucky 40511 |
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Key people
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| Divisions | Saratoga Springs, New York Wellington, Florida |
Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital is a special hospital for horses in Lexington, Kentucky. It was started in 1986 by two veterinarians, William Rood and Thomas Riddle. This hospital offers many different services to help horses stay healthy or get better when they are sick or hurt.
They have taken care of many famous Thoroughbred racehorses, both at the racetrack and on farms. Rood & Riddle also helps out at other horse events, like the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games that happened in Lexington. The hospital has other locations in Saratoga Springs, New York and Wellington, Florida.
Contents
About the Hospital's Founders
Meet the Founders
William ("Bill") Rood is the main leader of Rood & Riddle. He studied horses and their care at the University of Louisville.
W. Thomas Riddle grew up with horses because his dad was also a horse doctor. He became a veterinarian in 1978. Thomas Riddle is an expert in helping horses have babies. He often visits horse farms around Lexington. He joined Bill Rood's practice in 1981, and they became partners in 1984. Together, they officially opened Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in 1986.
Larry Bramlage is another important partner at Rood & Riddle. He is a specialist in horse bone surgery. He once said that when he started, surgery was a last hope for injured horses. Now, it's often the first and best way to help them.
A Special Place for Horses
Rood & Riddle has been called the "Mayo Clinic for horses." This means it's a top-notch hospital that can handle all kinds of horse health problems. In 2002, the hospital treated about 10,000 cases each year. This included many surgeries, like 1,293 arthroscopies (a type of joint surgery). The most common problems they treated were colic (stomach pain) and pneumonia (lung infection).
By 2013, the hospital had grown a lot. It became a 24-acre facility with 50 veterinarians and nine barns. These barns could hold up to 150 horses at one time. The Lexington hospital has special areas for surgery, foot care, and helping horses have babies. It also has an intensive care unit for horses with colic and a special unit for newborn foals. They use advanced technology to find out what's wrong with horses.
In 2013, Rood & Riddle opened a new location in Saratoga Springs, New York. Later, in 2016, they bought a hospital in Wellington, Florida. Wellington is a very important place for sport horses, especially for events like show jumping.
Famous Horse Patients
Rood & Riddle has helped many horses, including some very famous ones.
Helping Horses with Health Problems
In 2001, Thomas Riddle was one of the first to notice a problem where many unborn foals were dying. This was called mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS). Thousands of mares (female horses) in Kentucky were affected. Rood & Riddle helped study this problem and found that tiny eastern tent caterpillars were causing it. By 2003, the problem was mostly gone.
Here are some other famous horses they have helped:
- In 2008, a horse named Chelokee had a very bad injury during a race. Dr. Bramlage fixed it with surgery.
- Kip Deville was treated for colic in 2009. Sadly, he later developed another serious condition called laminitis and passed away in 2010 after months of care.
- In 2013, Rachel Alexandra had a life-threatening injury after giving birth. Dr. Brett Woodie performed a long surgery at Rood & Riddle to save her.
- Wise Dan was treated by Dr. Bramlage for bone problems throughout his racing career. In 2014, he had colic surgery at Rood & Riddle and was able to race again.
- In 2014, Cigar, a very famous horse, passed away at age 24. He had been treated for severe arthritis in his neck.
- In 2015, Groupie Doll had a baby colt too early. The team at Rood & Riddle helped nurse the tiny colt back to health.
- In 2016, Zenyatta's four-day-old colt passed away after being treated for a breathing problem at the hospital.
Supporting Horse Sports
Even though they are well-known for treating Thoroughbreds, Rood & Riddle helps all kinds of horses in different sports. They were the official hospital and veterinary partner for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games. They also provided veterinary help at events leading up to the Games. Since then, they have worked with the yearly Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington.