St David’s Equine Practice, operating from Nutwell Estate on the Exe estuary in Devon, is now situated in new premises that have placed it firmly in the forefront of equine surgical and medical facilities on the south-west peninsula.
Located on a superb picturesque site overlooking the estuary, the early 19th Century Riding School buildings complex has been re-built to modern hospital standards as an equine medical and surgical unit as well as housing the farm, avian and IT practice units. The unit contains dedicated examination rooms, recovery stables and bone scanning unit.
Modern surgical facilities for the horse are located within a purpose designed unit at one end of the original arena building, whilst the rest of the Riding School has been restored to an arena surface suitable for exercise of the horse within grand surroundings. The final phase of the building was completed in August 2006 and involved the re-location of the offices, laboratory and avian units into the new-build premises along the north side of the main building. As the building listed, the whole project has had to be sympathetically designed to enhance the beauty of the magnificent period building whilst still resulting in a modern and practical equine hospital unit.
The equine unit has several dedicated examination boxes suitable for radiographic, ultrasound and scintigraphic examination. There is an extensive stable unit that allows medical, surgical and reproductive cases to be housed appropriately during their stay. The surgical unit has full operating theatre facilities with padded
anesthetic induction and recovery unit attached. This has allowed us to further enhance our range of surgical services. Examination of cases at exercise is possible on trot and lunge areas as well as a competition surface. The design of the behind-the-scenes preparation and organisation facilities has enabled the whole unit to be located within the original ‘footprint’ of the building whilst maintaining good access and efficient movement of cases within the unit.
Reception and office facilities enable clients to be dealt with in congenial surroundings and to provide the very high standard of organisation expected of such an establishment. Within the complex there are rooms that allow the running of lectures and courses for owners and other interested parties. Separate car and lorry parking adjacent to reception and the equine hospital respectively give good access to each including the provision of loading and unloading ramps for debilitated patients.