Roaring Fork Equine Medical Center

Roaring Fork Equine Medical Center We are a full-service equine hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colorado with 24/7 emergency care.

Roaring Fork Equine Medical Center is located in Glenwood Springs, CO and is proud to be the only specialty referral equine hospital on the western slope of the Rockies. We specialize in emergency equine care and have state-of-the-art equipment ready to assist in a variety of services for your horse, both in hospital and ambulatory.

04/09/2026

Roaring Fork Equine Medical Center is now offering Pro-Stride!

This video is showing some of the steps to processing the Pro-Stride for joint injections.

Pro-Stride is a product that is processed from the horse’s own blood (we call this an autologous biologic). The process that is used yields two products - one is the actual Pro-Stride injection and the other is Alpha2EQ (A2E).

Pro-Stride contains a concentrated solution of natural antiinflammatories, platelets, and growth factors that reduce joint inflammation and pain while also helping tissues to heal.

Pro-Stride is a good option for horses with sore joints or those recovering from joint surgeries. Pro-stride is a good alternative to steroids and can be better for long term joint health.

A2E is also a natural anti-inflammatory that is a byproduct of the Pro-Stride processing. Although A2E has less beneficial factors than the Pro-Stride, it can still be very helpful as a joint injection aimed to reduce pain and inflammation. A2E can also be paired with Pro-Stride to add that extra kick!

Pro-Stride can be performed in one appointment and doesn’t require an incubation period. After a blood draw from your horse, the total processing time is about 30 minutes.

Many horses will show improvement in 2-4 weeks after treatment. This improvement can last up to a year in some horses.

Contact us today to book your Pro-Stride appointment.

Worms! 😱When we think of worms in horses, most people think about seeing worms in the f***s. But you can find worms in a...
02/20/2026

Worms! 😱

When we think of worms in horses, most people think about seeing worms in the f***s. But you can find worms in a lot of other places too.

Picture 1: Habronema worms seen in the stomach of a horse who was undergoing gastroscopy.

Picture 2: A strongyle worm found swimming freely in the abdomen of a horse who underwent colic surgery and was found to have a necrotizing bowel lesion.

Picture 3: A suspected ascarid roundworm that came out in some reflux (vomit) of a horse who was being treated for an impaction colic.

Picture 4: Ascarid roundworms seen inside the bowel on ultrasound of a horse that presented for severe weight loss and colic.

Routine deworming is important in maintaining your horse’s health. But deworming can cause problems if not done correctly or with the right product. That’s why it’s best to meet with your veterinarian and perform f***l examinations at least once a year - two times a year is even better! This helps to make the best deworming plan for your horse.

Contact us today to schedule a f***l float for your horse - exams done in hospital and results available the same day!

Do you think your horse has gastric ulcers? You’re not alone. We often get questions about gastric ulcers as they are a ...
02/19/2026

Do you think your horse has gastric ulcers? You’re not alone.

We often get questions about gastric ulcers as they are a common condition amongst performance horses. It’s important for horse owners to understand that gastric ulcers can present in a variety of ways such as colic, weight loss, reduced appetite, or poor performance. And in many cases, a horse might not have any signs at all!

The ONLY definitive way to diagnose gastric ulcers is with gastroscopy, which uses a video endoscope passed through the nose, down the esophagus, and into the stomach. This is done under standing sedation and horses don’t require hospitalization. There is no other diagnostic test that can tell you with certainty that your horse does or does not have gastric ulcers. The first picture is our team performing a gastroscopy.

While some people will elect to just treat there horse instead of having a gastroscopy this can lead to a lot of confusion and sometimes wasted money.

Owners should also know that there are 2 different types of gastric ulcers - squamous gastric ulcers and glandular gastric ulcers. The different types require different treatment. And that is why it’s important to know which one your horse has.

The second picture is a horse with grade 3 squamous gastric ulcers. The third and fourth pictures are examples of abnormalities seen in the glandular stomach.

Call us to schedule your gastroscopy today!

It’s foaling season! Having a new foal can be exciting. But having a new foal with crooked legs is zero fun. Foals can b...
02/11/2026

It’s foaling season!

Having a new foal can be exciting. But having a new foal with crooked legs is zero fun.

Foals can be affected by what we call angular limb deformities (ALD). An ALD is seen as a crooked, bent, or rotated leg. In horses, we most often see ALDs associated with the carpus or fetlock joints. We use the term valgus when the lower limb deviates outward and varus when the lower limb deviates inward. In some foals, the leg can straighten with a little bit of time and rest alone. In other foals, splints, therapeutic shoes, or bandaging can be used to help straighten the leg. In the most severe cases, surgery is often needed to promote straightening of the limb.

As you can see in the second photo, this foal had right front carpal valgus. When the limb didn’t show improvement with time, rest, and a special shoe, we moved forward with surgery. In the fourth photo you can see a screw in the growth plate along the inside of the radius. This is called a transphyseal screw and is intended to slow the growth along the side which it is placed. Thus, allowing the leg to straighten.

The last photo is the same foal two weeks out from surgery. The leg is straighter but still a little crooked so the screw will stay in for a little longer. The screw is removed once the limb achieves its ideal straightness.

Correcting ALDs is a time sensitive matter as they need to be corrected when the growth plates are still open. That’s why it is important to communicate with your veterinarian early on in the process.

Laminitis is a scary word in the equine world. Horses affected by laminitis can often experience severe pain, loss of us...
02/06/2026

Laminitis is a scary word in the equine world. Horses affected by laminitis can often experience severe pain, loss of use, and in the most severe cases, humane euthanasia.

Whenever a horse experiences laminitis, it is important to understand what caused it. The three most common causes of laminitis include hyperinsulinemia-associated (HAL), sepsis-related (SRL), and supporting limb laminitis (SLL).

HAL is the most common form of laminitis and is a consequence of the clinical syndrome called Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS). EMS horses typically have regional or generalized obesity and a disturbance in their insulin regulation. EMS horses often have an exaggerated response to sugars in the diet. Thus leading to high levels of circulating insulin. Research has shown us that these high insulin levels are the cause for laminitis.

The first picture you see is an x-ray of a horse with severe rotational laminitis. The other pictures are of classic regional adiposity along the top line and rump in a horse with EMS.

Early diagnosis and management of these horses is key. Diagnosis is made with a blood test to measure insulin levels. If a horse has EMS, dietary changes are the basis of treatment and management. These horses often have to receive a calorie restricted, low starch diet. It is often recommended that these horses do not receive grain or fresh grass grazing.

Although some medications are available to treat the insulin dysregulation, it is still necessary to make the appropriate dietary adjustments. EMS horses often require lifelong management but if done appropriately these horses can go on to be successful athletes.

10/12/2025

Introducing our new toy - the Televet ECG monitor. The Televet can be used for continuous ECG monitoring of a horse’s heart rhythm both at rest and during exercise. This type of monitoring is especially important in horses with heart disease. Evaluating the ECG at rest and during exercise can help us to determine if the horse is safe to ride and complete his/her job.

The horse in these videos suffers from atrial fibrillation (afib), one of the most common arrhythmias we see in horses. There are treatments options for afib, but there is a risk of recurrence. An exercising ECG can be performed to determine if a horse can perform his/her discipline in afib.

An exercising ECG is also helpful in evaluating horses with exercise intolerance, or other conditions that might interfere with optimal performance.

Contact us if you think your horse might need an exercising ECG.

10/12/2025

Introducing our new toy - the Televet ECG monitor. The Televet can be used for continuous ECG monitoring of a horse’s heart rhythm both at rest and during exercise. This type of monitoring is especially important in horses with heart disease. Evaluating the ECG at rest and during exercise can help us to determine if the horse is safe to ride and complete his/her job.

The horse in these videos suffers from atrial fibrillation (afib), one of the most common arrhythmias we see in horses. There are treatments options for afib, but there is a risk of recurrence. An exercising ECG can be performed to determine if a horse can perform his/her discipline in afib.

An exercising ECG is also helpful in evaluating horses with exercise intolerance, or other conditions that might interfere with optimal performance.

Contact us if you think your horse might need an exercising ECG.

Just when you thought a horse couldn’t find a new way to injure themself. This horse healed up wonderfully after she lac...
10/04/2025

Just when you thought a horse couldn’t find a new way to injure themself.

This horse healed up wonderfully after she lacerated her tongue and had to have it partially amputated. She’ll be able to eat and nicker. She just might have to give up on her singing career.

A myelogram is a special x-ray study where a medical dye is injected into the space around the spinal cord. The dye help...
08/04/2025

A myelogram is a special x-ray study where a medical dye is injected into the space around the spinal cord. The dye helps to highlight the borders of the spinal cord which can’t be seen with x-rays alone. Because of the difficulty of the procedure it is ideally performed by a specialist and under general anesthesia.

In horses, a myelogram is typically used to evaluate for compression of the spinal cord in the neck. This is termed cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVCM) and is due to a developmental defect of the vertebra of the neck. Some might also refer to this condition as “wobblers” based on its characteristic clinical signs of hindlimb ataxia, or incoordination.

These photos show a myelogram procedure performed at RFEMC. You can see the patient is anesthetized and Dr. Silver placing a spinal needle through the atlanto -occipital space to enter the spinal canal. The neck is moved into various positions and x-rays are acquired with each position. The last photo is an example of the x-ray with the arrow pointing to the dye in the spinal canal.

Who doesn’t love a mule foal?! This little mule foal (Mad Dog) came into our clinic at about 12 hours of age. Initially...
04/24/2025

Who doesn’t love a mule foal?!

This little mule foal (Mad Dog) came into our clinic at about 12 hours of age. Initially after birth, he had been doing great. But he slowly became lethargic and didn’t want to nurse. He was brought into us after his urine was noted to be dark red.

Shortly after arrival, Mad Dog was diagnosed with neonatal isoerythrolysis (NI). This occurs when the mares colostrum contains antibodies that attack the foals red blood cells resulting in severe anemia. Some early clinical signs may be lethargy, colic, red urine, and/or yellow sclera. NI typically requires immediate and aggressive medical care. A blood transfusion may be necessary in some cases and the foal has to be withheld from nursing until his/her gut “closes” at about 24 hours of age.

In Mad Dog’s case, he was lucky enough to have a blood donor! Boobers saved Mad Dog by donating 3 liters of her blood! Although Mad Dog was initially very sick, he responded well to all therapies and is now being a wild one at home! You can see how it started and how it went!

Contact us to learn more about NI!

It’s foaling season!! We see foals for a variety of reasons. We always enjoy the healthy new foal exam (pictured). But ...
03/06/2025

It’s foaling season!! We see foals for a variety of reasons. We always enjoy the healthy new foal exam (pictured). But on occasion we have to see foals with problems. Common foal problems include diarrhea, pneumonia, angular limb deformities, “navel ill”, and a variety of others. Contact us if you have any questions about your foal. 970-987-4757

We also want to use this post to introduce Dr. Alessandro Migliorisi (or Dr. Al). Dr. Al is specialized in equine internal medicine and just completed a fellowship in emergency critical care. He adds just another weapon to our team of specialists. Be sure to give Dr. Al a big welcome next time you see him!

Address

3927 Co Road 154 Bldg A
Glenwood Springs, CO
81601

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+19709874757

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Roaring Fork Equine Medical Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Roaring Fork Equine Medical Center:

Shortcuts

Share

Category