Piedmont Equine Practice

The two main topics that she covered during the seminar were murmurs and cardiac arrhythmias in horses. She defined murmurs to be “a disturbance in the blood flow” and cardiac arrhythmias as “a disturbance in the heart’s electrical activity.” Dr. Polkes also shared some intriguing case studies which highlighted her experiences with horses suffering from these health issues. We were presented with graphs, charts, and audio recordings to further explain the dangers of the two health concerns discussed during the seminar. Dr. Polkes also presented some photographs of her work and findings through her years of working as an equine veterinarian.

Not only did we learn about these two health problems found in horses, but we also gained an understanding of how to resolve various medical issues and what exams and evaluations must be performed. Dr. Polkes showed images of exams in progress and spoke about the proper way to ensure the horses’ safety during examination. She also shared some of her experiences with past horse patients, their examination outcomes, and their overall evaluation results.

After the presentation, Dr. Polkes took questions from the audience, and we heard about her treatment recommendations for certain scenarios. It was very interesting to learn about Dr. Polkes’ approach and her resolutions. All who attended from Foxcroft enjoyed hearing from Dr. Polkes, and we hope to bring her to Foxcroft to teach a seminar with one of the School ponies.