I spent two of my weekends this February driving back to my
hometown to take part in the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.
This year was different as I had the unique opportunity to shadow
with Dr. Ben Espy, the official Rodeo Veterinarian. He has the
responsibility of caring for not only the animal athletes that will
perform in the AT&T Center but also for over 25,000 animals
that are part of the livestock show. Additionally he oversees the
secure collection of urine samples from winning animals to ensure
that illegal drugs and hormones were not used. Luckily Dr. Espy has
two fourth year vet students from Texas A&M, Megan Kirkland and
Ashley Stricklin, who are a huge help to him. For the duration of
the rodeo the fourth years live on the grounds in the vet clinic,
often handling late night calls.
The attitude towards veterinarians at these events is often
tense - especially when dealing with livestock. Students (and their
parents) ha...
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