Douglas O. Thal DVM DABVP Thal Dr.
Dr. Thal is the owner of Thal Equine. Raised on a cattle ranch in Northern New Mexico in a family of horse enthusiasts, Doug Thal has been riding and training horses since childhood. Dr. Thal attended the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where he received his DVM degree in 1993 with an emphasis on equine and large animal medicine and surgery. Following veterinary school, Dr. Thal was the resident intern at Littleton Large Animal Clinic (now called Littleton Equine Medical Center) in Littleton, Colorado in 1993-1994.
Littleton was and remains one of the largest private equine hospitals in the Rocky Mountain region. As an intern living on site, Dr. Thal assisted with a heavy caseload and gained valuable experience that he used in forming his own practice and practice philosophy. Littleton is highly regarded for its in-depth and precise lameness diagnosis, and Dr. Thal maintains a keen interest in that area.
Brian Van Der Wege
Brian is our facilities manager and 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. Brian keeps everything running smoothly around here, from the tractor to the anesthesia machine, to the computer network. We appreciate his broad skill set!
In the last few years, Brian has perfected the art of composting horse manure, yielding high quality “black gold” compost for us to use in our landscaping projects. In his free time Brian races sports cars and rides his motorcycle.