Top-class care: who looked after our horses in Rio?

(Image credit: Arnd Bronkhorst/www.arnd.nl)

As this summer's Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro come to a close, we go behind the scenes at the 1,000 sq metre horse clinic located at the Deodoro stables, to take a look at the world-class veterinary and farriery care that was on tap for our equine athletes. The clinic included the latest pathology, endoscopy, radiography and ultrasonography technology, as well as a dispensary, emergency surgery facility with padded recovery boxes, and specialist treatment stables. The facility was manned by a 130-strong team of veterinary surgeons, anaesthetists, imaging specialists and medical professionals from Brazil and around the world

Dr Thomas Wolff, President of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Veterinary Commission, led a 130-strong world-class team of veterinary experts, including leading surgeon Carlos Eduardo Veiga (left)

The veterinary clinic at the Deodoro stables

Erik Bergman, an orthopedic specialising in imaging

Erik Bergman in action

Ana Paula Marinho, by day equine reproduction specialist, and for the Rio Games a veterinary technician

Aline Baumann da Rocha Gizzi, who was responsible for the clinical pathology laboratory

Leading surgeon Carlos Eduardo Veiga

The veterinary team in the clinic

Luiz Tenorio — the man in charge of coordinating the farrier services for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Farrier Jim Blurton finishes a shoe

Cooling a shoe

Luiz Tenorio in action

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A graduate from Durham University, Madeleine joined H&H in 2011 and became Features Editor — producing content across the magazine and website, including the popular inside back cover article ‘The horse that made me’ and the weekly ‘The best of my fun…’ interview. She has written on topics as diverse as hay making and headcams, to hot totty in the horse world and circus horses. Madeleine now works as a freelance feature writer for Country Life, The Telegraph, Horse & Hound, cntraveller.com, The Spectator and The Field, as well as writing obituaries for The Times.