Welcome to Thal Equine
At Thal Equine, our equine hospital based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, also serving Durango, Colorado, we offer premier veterinary care. Our equine vet surgeon is committed to providing the best veterinary services available at a fair price. Here is what Thal Equine has to offer to fellow horse lovers.
Our Staff
Thal Equine has created a team of veterinary professionals trained and qualified to deal with different animals. Our primary goal is to give primary care to horses through a variety of means. We recognize that horses tend to have a unique set of health structures that require specialized medical attention. Our staff at Thal Equine is patient, compassionate, and experienced at providing complete animal care, whether that's through preventative medicine or emergency visits.
Our Approach
At Thal Equine, we have developed an approach that focuses on overall wellness. We look for the underlying cause of an animal's condition. During a typical visit here, the veterinarian will look at your horse's physical, mental, and emotional needs overall. A wellness approach is meant to look beyond the obvious symptoms and investigate the potential root of a health problem. Once a diagnosis is determined, the equine vet can then develop a plan for care that best suits your horse. Ultimately, the goal is to maximize the horse's health by restoring full functionality.
Our Services
Aside from basic checkup services, Thal Equine is a hospital that has developed specialized medical care tailored to horses. Our health programs include equine surgery by our certified vet surgeon. We specialize in emergency care for horses. If you have any questions about our veterinary services, feel free to contact the center, and our staff will answer right away.
Get in Touch with Thal Equine
If you live in Serving Durango, Colorado, or Santa Fe, New Mexico, and you have a horse that is suffering from a health condition, please contact our veterinary care center at 505-438-6590. We also perform basic checkups to see whether your horse is in prime condition. Our center includes a mobile service and a full-service facility that offers intensive care. For long-term emergency care, you should contact us about a hospital visit to the facility.
A FULL-SERVICE EQUINE REFERRAL HOSPITAL LOCATED NEAR SANTA FE, NM
SERVING NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHERN COLORADO
Thal Equine is the best-equipped and most capable equine hospital between Albuquerque and the Denver metro area. Dr Thal, a lifelong horseman and equine vet since 1993, has been solving tough equine veterinary problems since he started practice. The practice has added and lost staff and veterinarians over the years, but one thing has stayed the same- a commitment to providing thorough veterinary care, exemplary customer service and great communication. We do have a fully-equipped mobile practice, but our emphasis is on providing top-quality hospital services. Here are a few things customers have said about this practice over the years. Please check out our Testimonials!
Dr. Thal's Articles
Worms vs. Drugs: The Fundamentals
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
Research over the past 10 years has confirmed that indiscriminate deworming leads to selection for worms resistant to common deworming compounds. Because of this, “targeted deworming” based on fecal analysis Read More
Winter Health Care Basics for Horses
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
Generally, horses are not used as heavily during the winter months, but their proper care is every bit as important as in other seasons. Winter provides different stresses on horses Read More
What? You are going to ROLL my horse? Non-Surgical Correction of Left Dorsal Displacement with Nephrosplenic Entrapment
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
Case Report from Thal Equine LLC January 2015 Friday, an 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, arrived at Thal Equine showing signs of abdominal pain (colic). He had not responded to pain relievers and Read More
Vesicular Stomatitis: What Horse Owners Should Know
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
Vesicular Stomatitis (“VS”) is a viral disease that affects horses, and less commonly cattle, pigs, llamas, alpacas, and other livestock. We see periodic outbreaks of Vesicular Stomatitis in our region Read More
Understanding & Managing the Rising Costs of Equine Veterinary Care
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
This article addresses a subject that I deal with on a daily basis – the rising cost of providing quality equine veterinary care. It is a topic many horse owners Read More
The Value of a Diagnosis
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
Jake, a 20 year old Hanoverian gelding, showed signs of colic (looking at his side, not eating) and also seemed to be having difficulty urinating (based on his stretching out, Read More
The Late-Term Pregnant Mare, Foaling & Newborn Foal Care
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
From the last trimester of pregnancy through the foal’s first month is a critical time. It is extremely important for horse owners to know what to expect. In this article Read More
The Importance of Pre-Purchase Exams
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
For horse people, the purchase of a new horse is an exciting time. Unfortunately, many horses are purchased that are not suitable for their intended use. This lack of suitability Read More
The Equine Hock: What Horse Owners Should Know
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
The “hock” is a horseman’s term for the tarsus, an anatomic region of the horse’s hind limb. Horses of all breeds, types, and disciplines can suffer from hock-related lameness problems, Read More
The Equine Eye: What Horse Owners Should Know
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
The equine eye is a miraculous and delicate organ. Veterinary problems relating to the horse’s eye are common, and should be recognized and treated appropriately. There are many types of Read More
Thal Equine Client Handout: Intramuscular (“IM”) Injections
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
This handout is intended for clients that are comfortable and willing to administer intramuscular injections and have horses that are relatively well-behaved during this process. It is only recommended when Read More
Thal Equine Client Handout: Giving Your Horse Oral Medications
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
The most important part of any oral treatment is seeing that your horse or foal gets the total dose of medicine at the prescribed time for the total number of Read More
Thal Equine Client Handout: Equine Behavioral Workshop
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
Some Take Home Points from our October 15, 2011 Equine Behavioral Workshop I owe the late and great Ray Hunt a debt of gratitude for first opening my eyes to a new way Read More
Thal Equine Client Handout: Common Diagnostic Tests for Equine Abdominal Diseases
- posted: Dec. 26, 2019
The purpose of this client handout is to describe some of the actions that I take in trying to determine the cause and severity of your horse’s abdominal illness. If Read More
Testimonials
Request your appointment today!
Meet Our Skilled Team
Learn Who We Are
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Douglas O. Thal DVM DABVP Thal Dr.Dr. Thal is the owner of Thal Equine. Raised on a cattle ranch in Northern New Mexico in a family of horse enthusiasts, Doug Thal has been riding and training horses since childhood. Dr. Thal attended the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where he received his DVM degree in 1993 with an emphasis on equine and large animal medicine and surgery. Following veterinary school, Dr. Thal was the resident intern at Littleton Large Animal Clinic (now called Littleton Equine Medical Center) in Littleton, Colorado in 1993-1994.
Littleton was and remains one of the largest private equine hospitals in the Rocky Mountain region. As an intern living on site, Dr. Thal assisted with a heavy caseload and gained valuable experience that he used in forming his own practice and practice philosophy. Littleton is highly regarded for its in-depth and precise lameness diagnosis, and Dr. Thal maintains a keen interest in that area.
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Brian Van Der WegeBrian is our facilities manager and a veterinary assistant at Thal Equine. He was raised in East-Central New Mexico and began working with and riding horses at an early age. Brian has a fine mind, predisposed to understanding mechanical systems. Brian keeps everything running smoothly around here, from the tractor to the anesthesia machine, to the computer network. We appreciate his broad skill set!
In the last few years, Brian has perfected the art of composting horse manure, yielding high quality “black gold” compost for us to use in our landscaping projects. In his free time Brian races sports cars and rides his motorcycle.
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Tomas MedranoTomas is our senior barn hand and a veterinary assistant at Thal Equine. Tomas cares for our boarded horses daily and is regularly of great help with our veterinary patients. Tomas is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. He was a jockey for several years in California.
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Kristin Thal
Kristin is our business manager at Thal Equine. A double alma mater of the University of New Mexico, Dr. Thal persuaded her to return to New Mexico from her hometown of Denver in 2005. Luckily, she likes both green and red chili.
Office Hours
Spring & Summer: Closed at 5pm / Fall & Winter: Closed at 4pm. We take emergency and referrals 24 hours per day
Santa Fe Office
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Closed Sundays & Holidays
Santa Fe Office
Location
Santa Fe Location
69 Bonanza Creek Rd.
Santa Fe, NM 87508
