Biography
I grew up in rural South Lincolnshire, the son of an arable farmer, and my childhood was surrounded by horses, ponies and dogs. I applied to Liverpool University Vet School in 1978, started in 1979 and graduated in 1983. My first job in a vet practice was near York doing mixed practice but with a strong equine bias. I moved to North Lincolnshire two years later to a practice that was mainly equine with lots of hunting work from the Belvoir, Cottesmore, Quorn, South Notts and Grove & Rufford Hunts.
In 1986 I went travelling for a year, six months of which was spent working in a thoroughbred stud veterinary practice in New Zealand. I moved to Gloucestershire in 1987 and worked for a mixed practice doing some equine work. Out of that has grown the Willesley Equine Clinic which is now a specialist 12 vet equine practice.
Most of my contribution has been the development of the stud and reproduction department of the practice. I have been very involved with the development of equine artificial insemination (AI) in the UK and more recently have been resident vet at a large commercial semen freezing centre.