Kate Marley knelt on the neck of a young rescued horse that, minutes before, had been altered from stallion to gelding.

With the horse laid flat-out under general anesthesia, Marley adjusted a surgical towel protecting the animal’s eyes from abrasion and light stimulus. She checked his gum color, a sign of circulation. She held a palm over his nostrils, the field doctor’s way of monitoring breathing. She stroked his velvet muzzle.

Nigel Miller, a fellow veterinary student, paused while examining the incision between the horse’s legs. “Doing all right up there, Kate?” he asked, to confirm that the patient was well sedated.

“Yeah,” Marley responded, glancing up from her watch on vital signs. “We just topped him off

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