The third installment of StallSide, Rood and Riddle Veterinary Pharmacy's podcast, features a look back at the evolution of the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital through the eyes of co-founder Dr. Bill Rood. Hosts Drs. Peter Morresey and Bart Barber ask Rood to recall the clinic's humble beginnings and the evolution of equine veterinary medicine since the hospital launched in the mid-1980s.
Rood, who completed degrees both in veterinary medicine and law, was inspired to start the clinic when he discovered there were limited hospital options for foals in the Central Kentucky area. At the time, Rood and co-founder Dr. Tom Riddle envisioned the clinic as being three veterinarians working long hours in the spring and take things easy in the fall.
“We were so naive,” Rood chuckled.
From one building and three veterinarians, the clinic has grown to include some 80 veterinarians across three campuses.
Rood has seen a number of evolutions in the practice of equine medicine in the intervening decades — from corporate-owned clinics to the increasing breadth of knowledge required of equine veterinary students to a focus on the importance of work/life balance.
When asked about the future of horse racing, Rood said that like many people, he expected the industry to contract — but also to survive.
“I think racing needs to change some,” said Rood. “The consumer now wants immediate gratification, they don't want to wait 30 minutes between a race. It'll survive, it'll just be a different environment than it was in the past. Older people like to say they lived through the golden time, but the golden time is still out there.”
Take a listen to the conversation below–
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