Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre

This next week we welcome Dr Polly Sishton joining our Veterinary team here at WEVC.
Polly graduated from the University of Bristol in 2022 and worked as a small animal vet for a few months before completing a 12 month internship at Bourton Vale Equine Clinic in the Cotswolds.
She then stayed on at Bourton Vale as a member of the ambulatory team, and enjoys all aspects of equine work, especially reproduction, internal medicine and anaesthesia.
Outside of work she is a keen netball player and enjoys riding her horses, walking her dog, skiing and running.
We hope you join us in welcoming Polly to our shores.

The fantastic team at Te Aroha RDA are putting on a great day out and they need your support! Head along, have fun and support the team that does so much for the community covering such a large geographic area. From Thames in North to Waihi in East, Matamata in South and Morrinsville in West.

Come along to our community fun day!

Joining our WEVC internship team recently is Dr Ella Van Blankenstein.
Ella is originally from Devon in the UK, she graduated this year from the University of Bristol.
She is really looking forward to getting stuck in at Waikato and rotating through the different areas of the hospital to gain a better idea of where her specific interests lie within the profession. She is also excited to explore what New Zealand has to offer, as this is her first time over here!

Ella grew up by the coast, so most of her hobbies tend to involve being around water. She particularly enjoys water skiing, but when she is looking to be a little less active and relax at home, she enjoys yoga and knitting.
We hope you join us in warmly welcoming Ella to this part of the world.

🐴 Biosecurity Month: Protecting Your Broodmare & Her Foal

Pregnancy is a high-risk window for infectious disease in mares — and vaccination timing matters more than ever.

Key protections to discuss with your vet:

🔹 EHV-1 (Equine Herpesvirus) — the leading cause of abortion "storms" in NZ broodmare bands. Vaccinate at 5, 7 and 9 months of gestation to reduce abortion risk. While many mares are nearing their foaling dates this is still worth discussing with your vet if you haven't already.

🔹 Tetanus — a booster 4–8 weeks before foaling passes protective antibodies to your foal through colostrum, covering them in those vulnerable first weeks of life.

🔹 Strangles — consider vaccination status ahead of foaling, especially if introducing mares to a new property or mixing groups.

Beyond vaccination — good biosecurity habits matter too:
✅ Isolate new or returning mares before mixing with other horses
✅ Avoid shared water troughs and equipment between properties
✅ Practice good hand/boot hygiene between horses
✅ Talk to your vet early — don't wait until foaling season is already underway

A vaccinated, well-managed broodmare gives her and her unborn foal the best protection ahead of one of the most high risk times in their lives.

📞 Talk to your vet about a tailored vaccination and biosecurity plan for your property.

This is one of the very few free access council areas for horse riders in Waikato. Amazing given we are probably the most horse population dense area. Please if you enjoy having areas to take your horses locally, head along this week to help ensure a seat at the table for working with council on behalf of all users.

HORSE RIDERS CLUB important message
💥
Your support is really needed at our Horse Riders Club meeting this Wednesday, 19 August at 7pm at Pirongia Community Centre.

This meeting is an important step towards getting the club incorporated. If we don’t have an incorporated club, we won’t be able to enter into the agreement with council to begin the track maintenance programme.

That means no track upgrades, no jumps, and no ability for the riders’ group to organise and carry out any work on the block.

We have an opportunity to make this a better facility for everyone who rides there, but we need riders to get behind it and help make it happen.

Please come along on Wednesday, even if you can only spare an hour. We need a minimum of 10 people at the meeting to be incorporated.

📅 Wednesday 19 August

⏰ 7.00pm
Pirongia Community Centre
574 Crozier Street, Pirongia 3802

All welcome !

Pic is for fun only - it shows my mini running away from being caught when his muzzle has failed and he can eat all he likes 🤣

Looking to try something a little different this year?