Dr. Joe Carter, DVM, and Dr. Joe Noble, DVM, made the trip from Oklahoma to Las Vegas, joining their dedicated team who began setting up inside the South Point Equestrian Center’s on-site veterinary clinic before the first horses even arrived.
By the end of the week, The Run For A Million will have three official veterinarians and eight assistants on site, all with one primary responsibility — the health and wellbeing of the horses competing here.
Joining Carter and Noble will be board-certified equine surgeon from Oklahoma Equine Hospital Dr. Jessi Arnold, DVM. She will complete a veterinary team equipped to handle the wide range of needs that can arise during a major equine competition.
And when this crew comes to a horse show, they come prepared.
The squad brought much of the equipment and medical supplies from a full-service equine practice, including digital X-ray and ultrasound equipment, supplies for regenerative medicine and sports medicine procedures, medications, and other necessities needed to evaluate and care for horses throughout the event.
Their home base for the week is something competitors may not realize is built right into the South Point Equestrian Center. The facility includes its own veterinary clinic as part of a massive equestrian complex that also features more than 1,200 climate-controlled stalls, multiple climate-controlled arenas, a feed store, ice machine and other amenities designed specifically for hosting major equine events.
For Carter, working from a horse show is familiar territory.
A 1984 graduate of the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine and founder of Oklahoma Equine Hospital, Carter spent approximately two decades working in hospital and reproductive medicine before turning much of his attention to horse show sports medicine and lameness. Today, he and his team regularly travel to major reining, cutting and reined cow horse events across the country.
Noble brings an impressive résumé of his own. Also a graduate of the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Noble went on to complete a surgical residency at Purdue University and has built an extensive career in equine medicine, particularly in reproduction and advanced reproductive techniques.
Together, the veterinarians bring decades of experience with performance horses and the types of issues that can arise when elite equine athletes are competing at the highest level.
Throughout the week, the veterinary team will be available to evaluate and treat horses as needed, whether that means addressing a sudden concern, providing diagnostic imaging, helping manage soreness or simply making sure a horse is comfortable and ready to compete.
Most of the veterinary team’s work will happen away from the arena lights and outside the view of the crowd. But behind every great performance is a group of people watching closely over the horses who make this event possible.
