Thal Equine Horse Veterinarian New Mexico Staff

Meet the Staff of Thal Equine

Dr. Doug Thal, Thal Equine Horse Vet New Mexico Douglas O. Thal, DVM DABVP
Dr. Douglas Thal, founder of Thal Equine, was raised on a ranch in north-central New Mexico, near Mora. He has had an interest in horses since childhood, with a special interest in training young ranch horses.

Dr. Thal graduated from Robertson High School in Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1984 and received his degree in biology and chemistry from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque in 1989. Upon graduation from the University of New Mexico, Dr. Thal attended the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Thal received his DVM degree in 1993 with an emphasis on equine and large animal medicine and surgery.

Dr. Thal was the resident intern at Littleton Large Animal Clinic in Littleton, Colorado. During this time, he experienced the heavy equine caseload of the largest horse hospital in the Rocky Mountain states, while gaining the experience that would provide the basis for his current practice. Littleton is most well known for in-depth and precise lameness diagnosis. Dr. Thal has maintained a keen interest in that area.

Dr. Thal started this practice from the Mora area in February 1997 as Sangre de Cristo Equine Services. He has a love for the unique land and people of the region. From the start his goal has been to provide more thorough equine veterinary services for horse owners of the area.

Dr. Thal continues to enjoy all aspects of equine veterinary care. He has a special interest in lameness, surgery and dentistry.

Dr. Thal recently became certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Equine Practice. For more details, please see our “What’s New” Page.

Left, Dr. Thal enjoying a ride on his new property in Santa Fe.

Samuel P. Smith, MS, DVM

Dr. Smith is a new addition to the staff at Thal Equine. He has worked here in the past as a technician and is now with us again as a veterinarian.

Dr. Smith is from Colorado Springs, CO. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in May of 2010. Prior to veterinary school Dr. Smith earned a Master’s degree in Biomedical Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Sciences, also from Colorado State University. While here at Thal Equine he is looking forward to gaining experience in all aspects of equine medicine and surgery.

Dr. Smith moved here with his wife Rachelle, whom he met at CSU, and their 9 month old baby girl Avery. Rachelle is from Anchorage, Alaska and is enjoying exploring New Mexico. They live on the property of Thal Equine. When not working, Dr. Smith can be found relaxing with his family and dogs. He is also a golfing addict and powder skiing enthusiast.

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Kendel Dreyer

Kendel Dreyer is our receptionist at Thal Equine. A native of New England, Kendel moved to New Orleans just in time for Katrina. There she met her husband, Troy, and they moved to Santa Fe in 2007. Although Kendel spent 15 years in the Boston banking industry, her dream job was to be a veterinarian.

On their 5 acre "ranch" Kendel and Troy now surround themselves with critters and live with 3 horses, 2 goats, 7 chickens and 4 cats. Their adobe is also a foster home for cats for "Felines and friends" so the number of cats in the household fluctuates weekly.

Gilly Slayter

Gilly is a veterinary assistant at Thal Equine. She is an Arizona State University graduate in wildlife conservation biology and has had a passion for horses since she was five. Gilly has competed in both eventing and dressage at the international FEI level. Her horse training business, Simply 3-Day, shares the property with Thal Equine.

Gilly lives in Santa Fe with her husband Klaus, two dogs, two cats and way too many horses. In her spare time, she is an adventurous gourmand and a loves to spend time in the garden.

See www.simply3day.com for more information about her training business.

Brian Van Der Wege

Brian is a veterinary assistant at Thal Equine.

He was raised in East-Central New Mexico and began working with and riding horses at an early age. Brian has a fine mind, predisposed to understanding mechanical systems. That said, Brian keeps everything running smoothly around here – from the tractor to the clippers to the computers. We appreciate his broad skill set!

In his free time, Brian races sports cars and rides his motorcycle.

Britt Darby

Britt Darby works for Thal Equine as a veterinary assistant and barn hand. He is a 22 year resident of Tesuque, NM with his wife, Liz, and a cat named Trouble. He has a 17 year old daughter, Emily.

Britt first began working with horses in l987 as a barn hand and groom at Brightonwood Dressage, in Maple Plain, Minnesota. After surviving a winter of 40 below, he moved to Santa Fe and began mucking at Rancho Encatado. Since then he has been a professional dressage hunter/jumper show groom, worked a season at Prairie Meadows Racetrack, and toured with Reedannland Saddlebreds and Dr. Alan Raun. Britt has been a caretaker and ranch hand for numerous well known horse people and celebrities.

Ruth Bourgeois

Ruth Bourgeois began working for Thal Equine in Taos in 2001, working in all areas of the practice including the clinic, barn and front desk. She maintains the web site and newsletter.

Ruth is the director of the Equine Spirit Sanctuary, located at the former Thal Equine hospital and clinic in Taos, New Mexico. Ruth has three horses - two that she raised from foals and one that was a rescue horse. An avid trail rider, she spends as much time as she can out exploring the trails in the mountains around Taos. She also enjoys dressage and trains her trail horses with basic dressage work.

drthal@thalequine.com

Thal Equine web site by WebWorks of Taos