He provided great mentorship to
her as she pursued her degree and he
continues to be someone she looks
up to, she said.
Dr. Rutherford enjoys handling
a variety of different cases ranging
from wellness to internal medicine to
emergencies. She has a fantastic staff
who she says are like family to her
and they are a joy to work with.
“We love that our clients feel like
an extension of our work family. We
have a small clinic atmosphere and
love our clients and their fur babies,”
she said.
While Bowie Drive Animal
Hospital offers common veterinary
care with wellness exams, dental
care, spay and neuter and vaccina-
tions, they also offer boarding for
both cats and dogs. Their staff is dedi-
cated to making sure your pet is as
comfortable as possible while you’re
away. With climate-controlled indoor
kennels and kitty condos for feline
guests, your best friend will have the
time of its life while you’re on vaca-
tion.
The clinic has been extremely
successful, growing by leaps and
bounds, and is welcoming a new vet.
Dr. Samantha Means will join the
Bowie Drive Animal Hospital family
mid-June after her graduation from
Texas A&M in early May. Dr. Means
grew up in Plano and completed her
undergraduate studies as a Red Raider
at Texas Tech.
“We are thrilled to have her as
an addition to our staff and can’t
wait for you to get to know her,” Dr.
Rutherford said.
Dr. Rutherford’s passions include
internal medicine, surgery, preventa-
tive medicine and emergency medi-
cine. When she’s not busy taking care
of our best friends, she shares her
free time with her husband Jayson,
her four boys, and her goats, horses,
chickens, dogs and cats.
To read more about Dr. Rutherford
and her practice, go to rutherford.vet.
Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery
Continuing Top Notch Equine Medicine and Services
56
Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery or ESMS was
founded by a little bit of friendly competition
between Dr. Mike Fox, Dr. Marty Ivey and Dr. Steve
Hurlbert while they worked at Trinity Meadows
Racetrack as race track veterinarians. It was there
that they decided to join forces and begin the part-
nership of creating Equine Sports Medicine and
Surgery. In the beginning, the business was simply
a supply and billing office in Weatherford toward
treatment of the equine athlete. Their vision became
a reality of the art equine medicine and surgery
facility which opened its doors in September of
2001.
The founding members of Equine Sports Medicine and
Surgery all hail from different parts of the equine world.
El Paso native Dr. Marty Ivey graduated from Texas A&M
University where he received a Bachelor in Science in
Animal Science in 1986 and his veterinary degree in
1990. He began his career as a veterinarian at Ruidoso
Downs, New Mexico and eventually began working at
Trinity Meadows Racetrack.
Dr. Steve Hurlbert hails from Missouri and graduated
from Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary
Medicine in 1985. After vet school, Dr. Hurlbert went to
work at La Mesa Park in Raton, New Mexico with Dr. Fox
and his partners. He spent time at Remington Park and
later worked the Trinity Meadows Racetrack.
Dr. Mike Fox grew up in Guymon, Oklahoma and
graduated from Oklahoma State University’s College of
Veterinary Medicine in 1982. He began his career on the
racetrack in Raton, New Mexico at La Mesa Park, spend-
ing time at Remington Park and later the Trinity Meadows
Racetrack.
Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery is the go-to place
for equine medicine with well-trained and highly certified
vets on staff. Dr. Reese Hand, DVM, DACVS is the fourth
Dr. Chad Marsh, Dr. Lane Morrison, Dr. Ali H Broyles, Dr. Laszlo M Hunyad, Dr. D. Reese Hand
owning partner in ESMS and a board certified surgeon
specializing in equine surgery and sports medicine. For
Dr. Hand, finding enough hours in the day to get all daily
task done and calls returned is one of the most difficult
things that he feels he does. Working on the horses is the
easiest part of the day for him.
Returning a patient to a client and them being
successful is the most rewarding thing for Dr. Hand in his
profession.
When asked what he is most proud of, the answer
is simple. “Doing colic surgery on a five-year-old
girl’s horse and her asking me to please save his life.
Then him and her walking out of the hospital after a
successful surgery,” he exclaimed.
He looks forward to the continual advances in surgery,
medicine and regenerative medicine in his line of work.
When he’s not out saving horses, he loves to spend time
with his wife Cristen, and three kids, twin 14-year-old