Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital has begun construction on a new facility that will be home to a podiatry center and a stallion and mare reproduction center. The facility’s new 20-stall barn will be completed by December 15, and the main facility should be finished by March 15.

Scott Morrison, DVM, a veterinarian with training in foot care, will head the new podiatry section. The podiatry center will have a blacksmith area, radiographic facilities, holding stalls, and storage.

Bill Rood, DVM, founder of the hospital, said Michelle LeBlanc, DVM, Dipl. ACT, will head up the mare side of the facility, and Gary Nie, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ABVP, Dipl. ACT, will focus on stallion reproduction. Both are board certified in theriogenology. The reproductive facility will include a breeding shed, oocyte lab, stallion lab, treatment rooms, offices, and conference rooms.

LeBlanc is a world-renowned reproduction specialist whose research at the University of Florida has helped reshape the way mares are handled before, during, and after breeding. It was LeBlanc who uncovered the truth about uterine clearance after breeding (see “Mating Mares Q&A” on page 73 for her ideas on this topic), and who developed the system of lavage and medication used today to encourage uterine clearance post-breeding. She will work with problem mares at farms and in the clinic, and will continue her research