Vet school visit a spring-break highlight for pony club

Argyll South Pony Club members saddled up for a busy Easter break, the highlight of which was a trip to vet school.

 

The youngsters kickstarted the two-week school holiday with a well-attended rally in Campbeltown during the first week, ending on “a real high note” with a visit to the Weipers Centre Equine Hospital, part of the University of Glasgow's School of Veterinary Medicine, last Friday.

 

Thanks to parent drivers, 13 club members made the trip; for the Campbeltown contingent and driver Kerry Hopes, it meant a long day but it proved to be very worthwhile and educational for all.

 

Split into three groups, the members learned all about veterinary techniques from wound bandaging to X-ray and operation procedures, as well as current thinking on equine welfare.

 

The vet school staff demonstrated equipment and coached the youngsters in practical skills such as checking the digital pulse – the pulse that can be felt as blood flows through the artery into a horse's hoof – and measuring heartbeat and respiration.

 

 

The Argyll South members were a real credit to their club as they listened and learned attentively to all the information and entered enthusiastically into all the practical elements.

 

“A huge thank you is due to local vet and pony club mum Catriona Wilson, who helped liaise with the vet school to set up the tour, and Fiona Shaw, who organised yet another truly splendid Easter trip,” said a club spokesperson.