By Debbie James

A MONDAY morning at the Cotts Equine Hospital in Pembrokeshire and an eight-year-old grey mare is being prepped for spinal surgery.

Her eyelids are heavy from anesthesia as she resolutely submits to the skilful hands of equine surgeon Richard Comer.

As Richard pioneers interspinous ligament desmotomy, otherwise known as ‘kissing spine’ surgery, she can justly feel calm as he gets to work.

Cotts Equine, founded by veterinary surgeons Graham Fowke and John Edwards, has been operational for more than 10 years and now employs 27 people, including 13 veterinary surgeons.

Two years after the site first opened at Robeston Wathen, a fully equipped equine hospital was incorporated and this has a UK-wide client base.

The range of treatments extended way beyond those for the more commonplace conditions such as colic and lacerations.

“Yes we provide a lot of fire brigade care like stitching up cuts but this is a small percentage of our workload,’’ Richard explains.

“We treat horses for cancer, respiratory and eye problems, dental issues, everything in fact.’’

If there is one aspect of the equine physiology that does dominate more than any other, then that is mobility – feet and legs.

“Horses are professional athletes and for that reason they do get a lot of lameness issues,’’ says Richard, one of the four directors of Cotts Equine.

In common with human medicine, the age of specialism has arrived in the animal sector too.

“When we are ill our first port of call is the GP but if, for example, we needed treatment on our knee we would want it to be done by a consultant with expertise in this area, not our GP.

The same goes for horses. Owners are willing to travel long distances to have their horses treated by a veterinary specialist.’’

Cotts Equine is in fact the only registered equine hospital in Wales. When the facility first opened, 80% of the business was generated by clients in Pembrokeshire but as the business has grown and its reputation established, a much greater percentage of the client base comes from other parts of the UK.

And it’s not all expensive racehorses.

“We see a lot of children’s ponies but our dominant client would typically be the owner who has one to three horses, who does a bit of showing, a bit of everything,’’ says Richard.

The range of care includes a orthopaedic treatment, soft tissue surgery and artificial insemination as well as a 24/7 accident and emergency service for conditions such as colic or fractures.

As with any animal,there are some horses that are more enjoyable to treat than others.

“Horses are generally good patients but like all sentient beings they are a product of their upbringing and environment. We get kind, good-natured horses but we also get those that you would quite happily not see again in your life! There are as many natures for horses as there are for humans, if I didn’t like horses I wouldn’t be doing this job,’’ Richard admits.

Some well known horses have been treated at Cotts Equine but client confidentiality prevents disclosure of their identities.

The identity of one very famous horse owner who visited the facility last year can however be disclosed, although that visit wasn’t in the capacity of a client.

Queen Elizabeth II toured the facility during a visit to Pembrokeshire in 2015.

“We knew we were getting a royal visitor but it was only a week before the visit that we found out it was the Queen. She was genuinely fascinated with what goes on here and really seemed to enjoy her visit,’’ recalls Evie Fowke, who is in charge of the Cotts Equine accounts and finances and is married to director Graham.

Now that the Queen has seen the facilities for herself, she could well make a return visit – with a horse in tow.