If your horse is ill or injured, or requires routine healthcare, your usual vet practice will, of course, be your first port of call. But if he needs more advanced treatment, surgery requiring general anaesthesia, or has an issue that needs further investigation, he may well be referred to an equine veterinary hospital.
Veterinary hospitals or referral centres are designed to offer the highest levels of medical care to horses and will be equipped with operating theatres, intensive care and foaling facilities, a laboratory for analysing tissue and blood samples, and advanced technology to help provide the most accurate diagnoses. They may also have stabling and turnout for day and in-patients, and usually an arena for ridden and lunge assessments.
Your horse will benefit from the knowledge of a team of experienced vets at the hospital, including those who have a special interest or additional training in surgery and diagnostics.