Jo, our Chief Vet, qualified from Cambridge University in 1988, became involved in endurance riding one year later and has officiated at many rides at all levels since that time. She has been vetting at Golden Horseshoe since 1994, except for maternity breaks and, in 1997, was assistant team vet for the bronze medal winning young rider squad at the European Championships.
Jo was team vet for the Intermediate squad for two years and has continued in that role with the Senior Development squad.
Married to Malcolm, Jo has two children – Rachel and Adam - aged 12 and 9 respectively. Having ridden for most of her life, Jo has never yet competed at an endurance ride – but still has it on her list of things to do in the future!
Sarah Coombs BSc BVetMed MRCVS
Sarah, who was Chief Vet in 2004 and 2005, started endurance vetting in New Zealand during 1987
and, since then, has been involved at national and international level, travelling
as Team Vet with endurance teams on numerous trips abroad and has been involved as
treatment vet and commission vet in, as she says, “lots of other nice
places”. She has been an FEI vet since 1992 and is currently Chair
of the EGB Veterinary Committee.
Married to another vet, Terry Girling, they live in Dorset with their five
year-old son, Tim. Sarah owes her interest in endurance riding to her
involvement some years ago with Val Cooper and Witham Golden Colonel when she
completed a 25-mile ride at Lulworth – she has never looked back!
Sarah is currently in practice part-time, doing horses and acupuncture on
other things and she admits she enjoys endurance when it doesn’t rain
and when there’s plenty to eat!
Kieran O’Brien MA MVB PhD MRCVS
Kieran qualified as a vet nearly 30 years ago and, after a long sojourn as a veterinary lecturer at Bristol University, has worked for the last seven years in an exclusively equine practice on the Devon/Cornwall border. A large part of his work is with endurance horses.
He first vetted at an endurance ride in 1986 at Goodwood, and since then has vetted at a large number of rides in many countries, usually acting as Chief Vet or as the FEI Veterinary Delegate. Since 1987 Kieran has missed vetting at only two Golden Horseshoes, most recently the 2006 event, when he was busy writing his book "Essential Horse Health". He has been Team Vet for the Irish endurance team and also for the British Young Rider team.
He is married to Emma, a professional cook, and has two horse-mad young daughters. In his spare time he breeds event horses and does his best to be a dutiful Pony Club Dad!
Hugh Ll Salmon BVetMed DBR MRCVS
Hugh was born and raised in Pembrokeshire in a farming background and he
graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London.
After working briefly
in Tenby and Ross-on-Wye he moved to New Zealand, working for 5½ years
in Otorohanga, in the heart of the dairy country with beef cattle, sheep and
stock horses. Ideal country, he says, for a Welshman passionate about
playing rugby!
Hugh returned to Devon more than 20 years ago to set up a practice, working from the
home farm with Welsh Black cattle and Devon & Cornwall Longwool sheep. He
is in partnership with his wife, Linda, who is also a veterinary surgeon and
it was Linda who fostered his interest in horses. They have a 5 vet practice with a purpose built equine surgical unit and stabling facilities for patients.
Hugh started vetting at endurance rides about 18 years ago and has increased
his attendance over the last few years, still finding time outside work to
enjoy field sports such as fly fishing and foxhunting.
Hugh achieved FEI status towards the end of 2004 and, in January 2005, went with 6 horses as Veterinary Surgeon to the Senior British Endurance Team to the World Championships in Dubai.
Linda and Hugh
have a ten and a half year old son, David, who is unfortunately not as keen on rugby as
his father, who has been more than a little pleased with Wales' performance this season!!
David Buckley BVetMed Cert ESM MRCVS
David joined the Veterinary Panel at Golden Horseshoe in 2005, and has been vetting at Endurance Rides in Wessex and the South West for some time. He came to Devon as a child and fell in love with the area, coming back over 20 years ago to develop the Equine Hospital at Mullacott. He has been involved with developing AI in the breeding of horses, and is lucky to have been given a Hanoverian mare to breed from - which keeps him busy! He has been involved with various endurance rides over the years, notably Brendon Hills (where it always seems to be blowing a gale) and is looking forward to warm days and clear skies again for Horseshoe in May 2007, following his introduction in the mud and rain of 2005!
Paul Jarvis BVSc MRCVS
Graduating from Bristol, Paul is currently working at Mullacott Veterinary Hospital in North Devon enjoying first opinion equine and large animal practice. A sport lover, he rode competitively (with various degrees of success!) from the age of nine and was involved in junior eventing before going to university. After several years of bruising his body playing rugby, he has caught the ‘bug’ again and is looking forward to eventing again this season which at present involves plenty of early starts and late nights in the indoor school! Paul currently keeps his horses at Waterhouse Farm, the halfway venue for Golden Horseshoe in 2005 and 2006. A Devonian born and bred, he has popped over the border into Somerset and is currently living in Withypool, Exmoor.
Kieran qualified as a vet nearly 30 years ago and, after a long sojourn as a veterinary lecturer at Bristol University, has worked for the last seven years in an exclusively equine practice on the Devon/Cornwall border. A large part of his work is with endurance horses. 
Hugh was born and raised in Pembrokeshire in a farming background and he
graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London. 
Graduating from Bristol, Paul is currently working at Mullacott Veterinary Hospital in North Devon enjoying first opinion equine and large animal practice. A sport lover, he rode competitively (with various degrees of success!) from the age of nine and was involved in junior eventing before going to university. After several years of bruising his body playing rugby, he has caught the ‘bug’ again and is looking forward to eventing again this season which at present involves plenty of early starts and late nights in the indoor school! Paul currently keeps his horses at Waterhouse Farm, the halfway venue for Golden Horseshoe in 2005 and 2006. A Devonian born and bred, he has popped over the border into Somerset and is currently living in Withypool, Exmoor.