Equine Veterinary Surgeon

Supportive independent equine practice with a friendly team who will help build your confidence and develop your skills…

Connaught House Vets, founded by Sue’s father in 1953, was among the first pioneering practices in the country to receive RCVS hospital status. Over the years, we've evolved into a thriving independent multi-centre practice. Sue set up our dedicated equine unit in the 1980s after studying for a master's in equine orthopaedics and gaining experience in Newmarket for several years.

Our Equine Centre is now a 4-vet team in a very pretty rural location but just 10 minutes from the M54. It’s equipped with great facilities, including a heated treatment room, stables, horse walker, ménage, and hard standing for lameness examinations. We’ve also created a new vet’s office, lounge/meeting room and kitchen with lovely, white-washed walls and exposed beams.  We have been awarded outstanding in ambulatory practice and are RCVS accredited in equine general practice and equine emergency service provision. The practice is mainly ambulatory, with the clinic base used for lameness workups/ dental extractions/ standing surgery, etc.

Our workload is varied, mainly leisure horses, with some show jumpers/ eventers/ dressage horses /racehorses, etc. We foster a close-knit, collaborative environment, working to as high a level as possible and have a wealth of experience within the practice. You will have the opportunity to be directly involved in working up cases from the start and will be able to stretch your capabilities, knowing you have the support and mentorship of our experienced vets. This allows you to develop your knowledge and skills much faster without the need to refer. The partners, Sue and Andy, have special interests in dentistry and lameness/ performance. Gayle is also very experienced, having qualified 25 years ago, and is a mentor for BEVA. We are also lucky to have developed very close relationships with local equine referral centres so we can continue to be involved in our patient's care after referral. Chiara, our 4^th vet, has been studying for her equine internal medicine certificate and is sadly leaving us, but she is keen to pursue a residency in equine internal medicine. This is what she says about working with us:

“I have worked at Connaught House Vets for two years. Since the beginning, the partners have been extremely welcoming and supportive. I can say that this place was my second family. Never once did I feel that I was on my own. Even in the middle of the night, there has always been someone ready to help.

Both partners are wonderful and supportive. Every time I wanted to attempt a new procedure, one of them was there to support me and guide me. In fact, with Connaught, I started my CertAVP, and Sue has always been extremely encouraging and helpful and has always been available to read my assessments. The Equine RVN is one of the best nurses I have ever worked with. She strives for perfection, and there is no difficult horse that she can’t handle!

I am leaving only because I want to take a medical residency. I can definitely say that Connaught House Vets has made me a better vet and maybe even a better person.” Chiara MRCVS

We are also extremely lucky to have Lucy, a wonderful EVN who is interested in behaviour and is amazing at handling tricky horses. She delivers laser therapy and does RVN ambulatory work.

The practice also does a lot of racecourse duty work, and we’d be very happy for you to participate in this if you're interested. We are happy to fund the casualty management course needed to participate. Sue has been one of the racecourse vets at Wolverhampton and Uttoxeter since the 1980s and is now part of the team at Haydock and Aintree for the bigger race days, such as the Grand National.

We have a range of excellent equipment, such as a surgical and therapeutic laser, gastro/ URT videoscopes, Sprint air DR with battery generator and large 6 kw x-ray generator, two US scanners, powerfloats, and more. Our in-house lab at the small animal hospital also allows us to get quick results for urgent cases. 

Whilst the equine centre is on a separate site, you would also be part of a wider Connaught House community; over our five practices, we have 50 colleagues.  We believe in nurturing our team, building confidence, and developing your skills, and we want you to feel comfortable and supported. Our current team reflects that, with many of us having been here for years.

We work a 4-day week, generally around 9-6 pm, but the start time is flexible depending on the first and last visit, and it’s not unusual to finish before 6 pm. OOH is one night a week, and weekends are 1:4. Weekends are for emergencies only and are often quiet. The weekend following the on-call is a long weekend off. OOH phone calls are triaged by the clinical team at the hospital. For less experienced vets, backup is always available.

We are flexible with the rota, so whether you are looking for a full or part-time role or have other commitments to work around, please get in touch to discuss the options available. We appreciate that everyone has their own skill set and areas of interest. This is usually a pure equine role, but we could also accommodate combining the role with some small animal work if that interests you.

We are a sociable team who enjoy spending time together, both inside and outside of work. Whether it's a practice meeting with pizza or a more ambitious challenge like cycling 100 km to raise money for Hounds for Heroes, we're always up for an adventure; our next planned trip is to walk the Three Peaks. We're also big supporters of various charities, hosting events like coffee and cake mornings to support the Air Ambulance.

Situated near the beautiful countryside of Shropshire and Staffordshire, our location has the best of both worlds. It is just 20 minutes from Birmingham but a short ride to the amazing Shropshire hills. It also has great transport links and is just 15 minutes from the motorway network, which takes you all over the UK.

• Salary of £35,000 to £55,000, FTE depending on experience
• Flat available, plus the possibility of a relocation bonus
• Van and mobile phone provided
• Stabling for your horse is available on-site
• 5 weeks holidays plus bank holidays, or a day off in lieu if worked
• Partners cover the Christmas bank holidays
• Flexible CPD allowance, certificates funded and supported
• RCVS and VDS BEVA membership paid
• Visas sponsored

If you would like to enjoy working with our close-knit, supportive team, please call us for an informal chat or apply now!