With standing MRI units in 24 countries and over 100,000 scans, high-res MRI diagnostics are now more accessible to horse owners around the world

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. (August 29, 2019) – Since the installation of its first system in 2002 at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic in Kent, U.K., the mission of Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging has been to improve the safety, accuracy and availability of MRI diagnostics for the care of recreational and performance horses around the world. Almost two decades later, the world’s first manufacturer of MRI for the standing, sedated horse has installed its 100th system, with more than 100,000 horses scanned at private practices, universities, racetracks and research centers around the world.

Equine health professionals agree that Hallmarq’s Standing Equine MRI has revolutionized veterinary diagnostic imaging of the foot and lower limbs with less risk to the horse. Founder and Director Nick Bolas, a horse owner himself, says, “Equine MRI scans were rare and expensive until Hallmarq developed the first magnet specifically designed for the standing, sedated horse,” he says. “I am delighted to see how the original idea has developed, with image quality far beyond those early scans and still improving way beyond our 100th installation.”

Today, MRI is both accessible and affordable to owners of recreational and performance horses in 24 countries around the world. “Thriving in this highly specialized market is a testament to the unique expertise of the Hallmarq team, who have customer satisfaction firmly at the forefront of all they do,” Bolas states. “From initial concept to design, supply, install, training and support of their systems, the focus is on continuously improving the safety, accuracy and cost‑effectiveness of veterinary MRI.”

Dr. Tim Mair, equine surgeon and hospital director at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic, home of the first Hallmarq standing MRI, states, “We are proud to have been involved with the development of Hallmarq’s standing MRI scanner since its inception. Starting with a cardboard mock-up of the magnet, progressing to the prototype scanner and with subsequent refinements of the hardware and software, we have seen this technology transform our ability to diagnose many musculoskeletal disorders of the distal limb of the horse, particularly diseases affecting the foot. Standing MRI is now established as a standard imaging modality in equine clinical practice