DR. AMANDA GACIOCH

I like interacting with different horses' personalities - some are goofy, some

are serious and all business, some are worried, some are calm. I like figuring

out what kind of mentality the horse I'm working with has and adapting to

make them feel as comfortable as possible while getting the objectives of

the appointment completed.

A large, uncomplicated wound - I could suture all day. If I have a nice clean

cut that's long, doesn't interfere with any deeper structures, and all I have

to do is clean it and suture it closed, that makes me happy.

Have an emergency plan - be prepared to haul your horse or triage it

quickly at home before a veterinarian can arrive.

Have your horse prepared for being handled in uncomfortable ways -

picking up their feet for long periods of time, palpating all over their body,

moving out of the way, not walking over the handler when uncomfortable, etc.

The most rewarding part of my job is having a tricky case that's not

straight forward, having the freedom to work it up, diagnose and treat the

problems, and hearing later on that the horse is performing well.

The most memorable case that I currently have is a second opinion/re-

evaluation of a chronic deep digital flexor tendon tear in a rope horse.

This one sticks out to me the most because it was for a friend of mine at

the time who is now my boyfriend, and we like to say that we got together

because of him and his tendon tear. When he was all healed up, that horse

started teaching me how to rope as well!