In the first installment of this Equine ER series on Monday, Piaff, a Dutch warmblood gelding and emergency case, arrived at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. His owner suspected he had wobbler syndrome. The horse had been experiencing neurological symptoms for over a year but remained ill despite treatment. Below, Part 2.

It is not uncommon for veterinary students to refer to Dr. Stephen Reed as “a god” although he bats away compliments and defers credit for furthering his field to others. However, Reed co-edited the seminal text on equine neurology and conceptualized and co-wrote the handbook Equine Internal Medicine, first published in 1998. It is the only internal medicine textbook focused solely on horses. Reed is a retired professor in equine medicine from Ohio State University, about six feet tall, with bristly gray hair and wire-rimmed glasses. He is the first to admit he needs to step up his time at the gym. The vet has the brain of a major league scientist and the ebullience and goodwill of the Cookie Monster. For years, he had a piece of paper taped to his computer that read: “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Clients love him for that. At the veterinary hospital, he tends to jump from one thing to another, with staff members trying to keep up with him, or find him.

Piaff a couple of days after arriving at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.

Reed has been drawn to horses since he was a kid growing up in Ohio. When the circus came to town, he would hang out with the performers and their three-ring ponies. (His mother didn’t like it, thinking the big top wasn’t a wholesome influence.) In high school, he got to spend more time with horses helping a friend’s busy veterinarian father, and in veterinary school at Ohio State, a professor, Dr. Cheryl Chrisman, furthered his interest in neurology, demystifying the brain and paths to diagnosis