Dr Jessica Kidd BA, DVM, CertES(Orth), Diplomate ECVS, MRCVS
RCVS and European Recognised Specialist in Equine Surgery
Jessica Kidd has been involved in equine surgery for more than 20 years. She is an RCVS and European Recognised Specialist in Equine Surgery.
She attended veterinary school at Purdue University in the States followed by two years in mixed practice in New England. After this she completed an internship at a referral racehorse hospital in Ocala, Florida and then returned to the UK to complete an equine surgery residency at the University of Bristol. This was followed by time as a surgery lecturer at the University of Glasgow’s veterinary school followed by holding the position of the University Equine Surgeon at the University of Cambridge. She then spent seven years in private practice as the surgeon at the Valley Equine Hospital in Lambourn, Berkshire which had a hospital population of racehorses, performance horses and pleasure horses and is currently an external surgical consultant to multiple practices.
She has presented veterinary presentations at national and international meetings in over twenty countries, has taught numerous CPD courses for other veterinary surgeons on specialised equine subjects and was an examiner for the RCVS certificates six times. She was the keynote speaker at both the New Zealand Equine Veterinary and the South African Veterinary Association Congresses in 2019, the Dutch Equine Congress in 2021, at SIVE, the Society for Italian Equine Veterinarians in 2022, and the Finnish Association of Veterinary Practitioners in 2023.
She holds the RCVS certificate in Equine Surgery (Orthopaedics), is a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons, and is an RCVS and European recognised specialist in Equine Surgery. Her areas of interest are both soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery, diagnostic imaging and investigation of lameness cases as well as neonatology and care of the pregnant mare.
She is the chief editor of The Atlas of Equine Ultrasonography which is currently being prepared in a second edition and has contributed chapters to Auer’s “Equine Surgery” and “Equine Neck and Back Pathology”. She is a keen motorcyclist and one of the original members of the Horsepower CPD team which has already raised over £980,000 for charities to provide ongoing funding for both working equids and disabled children.
Her spare time is spent running around after twin boys and trying to keep the garden from over running the house.
"The aspect I most love about my job is being able to combine my passion for horses with my passion for surgery. However, I also always remember that without the owners and vets who put their trust in me I would not have these opportunities. Sometimes we tend to think of these procedures as routine, but to the owners surgery can be a huge event. I believe it is important to be accessible and make time to communicate with the owners and the vets before surgery and during the rehabilitation period. Nothing makes my day more than a message to say that a patient is back being ridden, competing or just back in his favourite pasture at home."
She attended veterinary school at Purdue University in the States followed by two years in mixed practice in New England. After this she completed an internship at a referral racehorse hospital in Ocala, Florida and then returned to the UK to complete an equine surgery residency at the University of Bristol. This was followed by time as a surgery lecturer at the University of Glasgow’s veterinary school followed by holding the position of the University Equine Surgeon at the University of Cambridge. She then spent seven years in private practice as the surgeon at the Valley Equine Hospital in Lambourn, Berkshire which had a hospital population of racehorses, performance horses and pleasure horses and is currently an external surgical consultant to multiple practices.
She has presented veterinary presentations at national and international meetings in over twenty countries, has taught numerous CPD courses for other veterinary surgeons on specialised equine subjects and was an examiner for the RCVS certificates six times. She was the keynote speaker at both the New Zealand Equine Veterinary and the South African Veterinary Association Congresses in 2019, the Dutch Equine Congress in 2021, at SIVE, the Society for Italian Equine Veterinarians in 2022, and the Finnish Association of Veterinary Practitioners in 2023.
She holds the RCVS certificate in Equine Surgery (Orthopaedics), is a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons, and is an RCVS and European recognised specialist in Equine Surgery. Her areas of interest are both soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery, diagnostic imaging and investigation of lameness cases as well as neonatology and care of the pregnant mare.
She is the chief editor of The Atlas of Equine Ultrasonography which is currently being prepared in a second edition and has contributed chapters to Auer’s “Equine Surgery” and “Equine Neck and Back Pathology”. She is a keen motorcyclist and one of the original members of the Horsepower CPD team which has already raised over £980,000 for charities to provide ongoing funding for both working equids and disabled children.
Her spare time is spent running around after twin boys and trying to keep the garden from over running the house.
"The aspect I most love about my job is being able to combine my passion for horses with my passion for surgery. However, I also always remember that without the owners and vets who put their trust in me I would not have these opportunities. Sometimes we tend to think of these procedures as routine, but to the owners surgery can be a huge event. I believe it is important to be accessible and make time to communicate with the owners and the vets before surgery and during the rehabilitation period. Nothing makes my day more than a message to say that a patient is back being ridden, competing or just back in his favourite pasture at home."