Working for Hagyard Equine Medical Institute


Ambulatory Veterinary Assistant- Dr. Lauren Javernick

Following my time in radiology, I decided to spend another breeding season in the field. Since my first field veterinarian was a partner in the practice and focused mainly on reproduction, I thought it would be nice to spend some time with an associate veterinarian who sees more primary care patients in addition to the reproductive side of the industry. Working for Dr. Javernick, each day began around 4:30 AM and ending whenever our work was through, sometimes as late as 7:30 PM. Throughout the day I kept detailed records regarding overall broodmare health and cyclic activity, billed for every procedure preformed, frequently served as a relief driver. This job was very similar to the work I did for Dr. Canterbury, but we saw far more farms and a different variety of clients. I absolutely loved working for Lauren Javernick, we were an awesome team and learned so much from her.

Sales Radiology Assistant

Since the thoroughbred breeding season only last six months, I decided to learn more about the sales side of the industry by assisting the Sales Radiology Coordinator, Sarah Hardin. In this position I was responsible for meeting clients and field veterinarians all over the Lexington area with the radiology equipment, and holding radiograph plates during pre-sale and diagnostic evaluations. I wrote and proofread radiograph reports for submission to the sales repository in order to make sure every entry was accounted for in both reports and radiographs. I was assigned to work on location the field during sales in the event a buyer or surgeon requested additional examination of any particular horse. In this position I also quickly learned how to use new softwares, met new veterinarians and clients.

Ambulatory Veterinary Assistant- Dr. Ken Canterbury 

Upon graduation, I decided I wanted to expand my knowledge of the Thoroughbred industry since my education mainly included business only aspects of the race track. I figured it would be helpful to know where the end product comes from. In January 2018 I started work as an Ambulatory Veterinary Assistant for Dr. Ken Canterbury at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. Dr. Canterbury is a partner in the practice and a well regarded equine reproduction veterinarian. During my time as his assistant I was in charge of recording evaluations of broodmare reproductive health, condition, post-breeding status, pregnancy progress and foal health. I facilitated client field interactions and record keeping of breeding condition and progress, organized and maintained readiness of all medications, supplies and equipment. I was also responsible for accurate billing of administered services, medications and supplies. I thoroughly enjoyed this position and was able to sharpen my interpersonal skills, organization and attention to detail.