Legacy Equine designed and built to be the very best

by Doug Toburen

When it comes to first impressions, many can be lasting whether they are good or bad.

As horse enthusiasts and owners drive up the lane to Legacy Equine Centre in Glenpool, Okla., the appearance of a state-of-the-art equine veterinary hospital will, without doubt, be a lasting impression.

However, for owners Matt Klotz and Wade Spradley, impressions are impressive but quality is essential.

The idea behind Legacy Equine Centre was not a fly-by-night idea for Klotz and Spradley.

As practicing veterinarians Klotz and Spradley saw a need for an advanced equine hospital.

“We actually thought about it for a long time before we ever started drawing up plans,” Spradley says.

According to him, it all started coming together when they drew the plans up in 2000.

Seven years later what was once a grand idea had become a reality as the doors to Legacy Equine Centre opened to the public in May of 2007.

Legacy Equine Centre was designed to be the most modern, technologically advanced equine hospital in the area and that is just exactly what it is.

“We have the best surgical suite in the area as well as the most modern equipment and a staff of people who know how to use it,” Spradley says.

Even the hospital barn is set up and designed to offer as much comfort as can be offered.

The barn features nine stalls, six of which are set up for I.V. fluids and two are set up for oxygen if needed.

In addition to that, the barn is electronically controlled.

“We can control things like temperature, the lights and cooling fans all with the touch of a button,” Shannon Olsen, veterinarian technician explains.

But having a state-of-the-art facility is worthless unless it is manned by the very best professionals in the business.

According to Spradley, without a qualified staff to assist their clients they just have a fancy building.

“Our staff is excellent here,” he explains. “We have the best veterinarians who each have their own specialty as well as a very qualified staff in general.”

Spradley says that he and Klotz tend to specialize mainly in lameness treatment while their other two veterinarians Crystal Christman and Cortney Henderson specialize in a variety of other areas including dentistry and upper airway disorders.

“If you add all of our years of experience our staff has over 45 years of veterinary experience,” he explains.

That experience, according to him, is the backbone to having a successful facility.

“We are the only facility in this area that can offer a number of specialized services for our clients,” Spradley says. “This is where the veterinary practice is headed in the future.”

Today’s horse owners expect more when it comes to care for their animals.

“People used to ask if we could take x-rays, now they want to know if we can do MRIs,” he says.

According to Spradley and Henderson, today’s veterinary practices have become more and more specialized.

“You could pick one part of a horse, for example, their eyes, and do nothing but specialize on that,” Spradley explains.

Legacy Equine Centre, as the name implies, focuses on nothing but horses and has clients from Oklahoma, as well as from a number of surrounding states.

“Our focus is on horses and we get all breeds and disciplines,” Spradley explains. “We typically deal with performance horses, those horses that do something for a living whether it is working or showing.”

Major services at Legacy Equine Centre include:

•Advanced Lameness Exams

•Eklin Digital Radiography

•Digital Viewing Room

•Phillips Digital Ultrasound Exams

•Olympus Videoendoscopy of Stomach and Upper Respiratory Tract

•24-hour Intensive Care

•Neonatal Intensive Care

•Orthopedic and Arthroscopic Surgery

•Emergency Surgery (Including Colics)

•Embryo Transfer Services

•Preventive Medicine Programs

•Shockwave Therapy

•IRAP Joint Therapy

•Stem Cell Therapy

•Performance Dentistry

•On-Site Laboratory

•Sports Medicine

The list of services could go on and on. Legacy is a facility that is designed to be able to do all they can to assist equine owners and enthusiasts.

“We also really work to keep our prices reasonable for our customers,” Spradley explains. “We want to build our business and be successful from a volume standpoint. We want to show our customers we are there to help them however we can so they won’t hesitate to come back.”

As fast as technology changes so do veterinary practices so both Klotz and Spradley look forward to the future.

“The name Legacy Equine Centre really says it all to Dr. Klotz and I. We wanted to build something that will be around long after we are gone,” Spradley concludes.

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