VETS HELP KEEP SHOW JUMPING DERBY RUNNING SMOOTHLY

BEHIND the scenes of a major event like Hickstead, there are a number of veterinary surgeons working to prevent accidents occuring and ensuring that any equine patients are attended to quickly and professionally.

By The Newsroom

Published 28th Aug 2007, 15:09 BST

Updated 8th Jun 2018, 03:25 BST

Overseeing the event is Chief Veterinary Officer Rob van Pelt from the Equine Veterinary Hospital, Arundel, West Sussex.

He organises his team to cover 24 hours a day while horses are stabled at Hicktead.

In the lead-up to the event he organises which vets are going to work on which day and their duties. As the Arundel practice is entirely equine, he also uses a local vet, Sue St Pierre who has owned a small animal practice for many years, in case there are any injuries relating to the many dogs which are invariably present.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette August 29