Summit Equine

10/29/2025

New stallion on the block! Say hello to C And L Silver Spoon aka Rueben. If you're looking for a performance quarter horse to cross with you mare, look no further! Rueben's has many great cow horses in his pedigree including Gallo Del Cielo, Doc's Prescription, Hes A Peptospoonful. He will be available for frozen semen during the 2026 breeding season and at the affordable introductory stud fee of $1,000.

Call our office with questions regarding this solid built and well minded stud! (971)330-3459

10/20/2025

Our Team is Expanding!

Summit Equine is expanding our team and we're looking for a motivated, detail-oriented, and hardworking
individual to join us! This full-time, hourly position includes opportunities for overtime, health benefits, and career
growth in a rapidly growing equine practice. Some weekend and after-hours availability may be required. Previous
veterinary experience or certification is a plus, but if you’re an enthusiastic learner with strong horse handling
skills and a passion for equine sports medicine, we want to hear from you!

Position Overview: As a Veterinary Assistant, you'll be an essential part of our team, helping to keep daily
operations running smoothly while supporting veterinarians in exams and treatments. You’ll play a key role in
maintaining appointment flow, assisting with procedures, managing client communications, and ensuring
accurate documentation and invoicing. Our ideal candidate has a positive attitude and strong work ethic.

We’re seeking someone who is:
• A proactive team player
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail
• Comfortable with handling horses of all breeds, disciplines, and sizes
• Interest in reproduction, equine lameness, rehabilitation, and performance horse medicine
Primary Responsibilities:
• Jogging, lunging, and flexing horses for lameness evaluations
• Accurate notetaking during exams and client communications
• Entering medical records and processing invoices
• Assisting with procedures (injections, radiographs, CT scans, etc.)
• Performing rehab exercises and therapies as directed
• Administering medications (IV, IM, oral)
• Assisting in stallion handling or collections and processing semen
• Daily care of patients; turnout, grooming, feeding
• Monitoring and stocking inventory of medical supplies
• Coordinating appointment scheduling and client updates/follow ups
• Supporting the team with daily workflow and maintaining a clean and organized work environment
• Operating tractor and arena drag
• Lifting/pushing/pulling up to 50 lbs

Qualifications:
• Minimum 2 years of consistent horse handling or livestock experience
• Strong communication and active listening skills
• Ability to stay organized and calm in a fast-paced work environment
• Moderate computer/technology skills
• Must be eligible to work in the U.S. and have a valid driver's license
• High school diploma or GED required
• Certification from an accredited veterinary assistant or technician program will be considered an
advantage, but is not required

Ready to Apply? Email your resume and cover letter to Leina Munos [email protected]

Come join a fun, hardworking, and passionate team that strives to deliver superior veterinary care to top-tier
athletes and the incredible clients that stand behind them.

10/10/2025

This post goes out to the unsung heroes of all breeding facilities! A large portion of our industry relies on their patience. THANK YOU to our tease mares for putting up with some hard days training stallions and ensuring we are able to get thousands of doses of semen shipped and frozen every year.

We always have a mare in heat, ready to help with our stallion services year round! If you are wanting to schedule your stallion for collection training or semen freezing, give us a call at (503)682-3898.

Left to right (Tessa, Noni, Charm, Roo, and Tomme)

09/29/2025

Let’s Talk Backs 🦴

Back pain is an often under-recognized cause of poor performance in horses, and can be one of the most frustrating for riders to pin down. One of the most common culprits? Kissing spine. This happens when the bony projections (dorsal spinous processes) along the horse’s spine are too close together, causing pain, inflammation, and in some cases, actual bony contact or impingement. Arthritis in the back can also be a cause of back pain and is different from kissing spine.

Horses with back pain may show:
-Resistance to saddling or grooming
-Difficulty with collection, transitions, or lifting the back
-Bucking, rearing, or hollowing under saddle
-Reduction in performance
-Sore back muscles or uneven development
-A "flat" appearance of the back, especially in the saddle area

How we diagnose it:
-A thorough hands-on and/or ridden evaluation
-Radiographs to assess bony changes or impingement
-Ultrasound to evaluate surrounding soft tissues, joints and other structures

Treatment options may include:
-Back injections (targeted anti-inflammatories or biologics)
-Shockwave
-Acupuncture
-Physical therapy and core strengthening
-Saddle fit evaluation
-Prolotherapy and/or mesotherapy
-Muscle relaxers
-In more severe cases, surgical intervention may provide longer term relief

The good news- many horses with kissing spine can return to full work and even top-level competition, with the correct diagnosis and proper management.

If your horse isn’t moving like they used to, or just feels “off” under saddle, don’t overlook the back. We’re here to help you get answers, and get your horse feeling their best. Call our office at (503)682-3898.

09/17/2025

Our CT continues to help find answers to ongoing and unexplained lamenesses! This case had presented for an acute lameness that did not resolve with blocking of the lower portion of the limb, but radiographs were unable to explain the level of lameness seen in the horse. The client was then referred to CT and a fracture within the central tarsal bone in the hock was diagnosed. Below find a radiograph of the horse’s hock and the CT images showing the fracture.

If you have a horse with an ongoing and unexplained lameness, CT might be an option to discuss with your veterinarian! Feel free to call our office for further information at (503) 682-3898.

09/16/2025

Congratulations on retirement from your influential and successful career! Thank you for the many years of education and dedication to the industry! Happy angling!!

Cheers to a remarkable career!

After 31 years at CSU, Dr. Pat McCue is retiring, leaving a lasting legacy of teaching, research, and mentorship in equine medicine. His dedication to the Equine Reproduction Laboratory and veterinary education has inspired thousands of students and veterinarians. 🐴

Curious to see the full story of his career? We’ve shared a closer look in a special feature. https://cvmbs.source.colostate.edu/dr-pat-mccues-winding-road-an-equine-veterinarian-looks-back-on-his-career

09/12/2025

Wondering what time of year is ideal to perform OPU/ICSI on your mare? There are numerous factors that go into deciding when is best for each individual. For the average mare, OPU/ICSI can be performed any time of the year; it is possible at any point in the cycle or even when the mare is not cycling. Transitional months during late fall and early spring typically cause mares to have an increased follicular poosl making them great candidates to aspirate! This just happens to line up when many performance horses are taking a break from their primary jobs!

Still not sure when to schedule your mare for an OPU session? Call our office to discuss you and your mare’s individual breeding goals- (971) 330-3459.

08/21/2025

Attention stallion owners! We have mare owners looking for stallions to book to in 2026! Tag your stallion/ranch or farm page and comment with your stallion's ad. It's never too early to start planning, especially with many stallions offering early booking discounts!

08/19/2025

While we have been able to generate some amazing images with our CT, the clients and the horses are the most important aspect. Below are some comments from Tammy Bailey, of Star Bailey Ranch, on her experience and why she considered advanced imaging.

What do you use your horse for? Barrel racing and breeding.

What other diagnostics tools have you used in the past on your horse? Radiographs and ultrasound.

Why did you choose to move forward with a CT? It has been a few years that we’ve been dealing with these issues (front feet).

How do you think the results of your CT improved the outcome of your horse’s ability to perform? The results were life changing for us. Now we know what we are dealing with and can treat and allow for adequate healing which is the best plan for my horse.

How was your experience with Summit and the Advanced Imaging department? Great!

Would you recommend others to use our CT as a diagnostic tool for their horses? We already have! It won’t be our last time to use this tool. Pricing was also good compared to MRI.

08/12/2025

When it comes to keeping performance horses sound, one of the most critical (and often overlooked) factors is proper hoof balance and shoeing. Gait analysis and clinical research support that improper shoeing can alter limb mechanics, leading to joint strain, pain, soft tissue overload, and even chronic lameness.

That’s why we always say: Shoeing is not one-size-fits-all. Every foot can be different.

🩻 How Radiographs Can Help
While experienced farriers can do an incredible job by feel and eye, radiographs (X-rays) can give us an inside view — especially in complex or chronic cases with hoof deformities or other issues.

X-Rays allow us to:
1. Assess bone alignment and angles
2. Evaluate sole depth, toe length, and heel support
3. Identify imbalances you simply can’t see from the outside
4. Guide corrective shoeing decisions with more precision

Whether we’re managing a navicular horse, treating chronic low heels, evaluating a sole-sensitive horse, or just doing a preventative check-in, radiographs provide clarity that can improve long-term outcomes and comfort.

🤝 Team Approach
We strive to work WITH your farrier to find a trim and shoeing plan to match your horse's unique conformation, housing, job, and any existing medical conditions.

Your horse’s feet are the foundation of their performance ability — let’s make sure they’re balanced, supported, and set up for success.

08/07/2025

Our very own Kylie Pearce, just wrapped up training at SBS Maryland! We are so proud of her and can't wait to have her back with peak semen freezing season starting. If you have a stallion that needs trained to collect or semen froze, call our office at (971)330-3459.

07/31/2025

Did you know that when a mare ovulates, the oocyte (egg) that is released does not leave their oviduct unless it has been fertilized and made into an embryo? This is because the embryo secretes prostaglandin E2, which allows passage from the oviduct into the uterus. When performing an embryo recovery, you can recover oocytes from previous ovulations that have been carried out of the oviduct into the uterus with an embryo. As you can see in the picture, oocytes look very similar to embryos, however they are slightly smaller and flat unlike embryos which are round and roll. This anomaly can cause a build up of oocytes over time in the oviduct resulting in a blockage, limiting the ability for an embryo to enter the uterus.

If you’re thinking about flushing embryos out of your mare, give us a call at (971) 330-3459!