Thal Equine LLC

Thal Equine has been around a very long time and you can tell why. Dr. Thal and his staff are excellent and care deeply for the animals and their people. Highly recommend!

I met Dr. Thal and his amazing team when I brought my foal, just a few hours old and in respiratory distress, to Thal Equine LLC.  The comfort and relief I felt was immediate as Dr. Thal and his team quietly, confidently and efficiently took charge and saved my lovely blue roan Azteca colt.  Since then, I have had several more, and serious equine injuries.  While it is difficult for me to make a 3.5 hr trip to his office, Dr. Thal has willingly texted with me about my concerns, to give me advice and to determine if I need to have him see my horse.  Dr. Thal is not only a veterinarian, he is also a competent horseman who has provided my horses with the best of care.  Holly of Dr. Thal’s staff answers the phone and has always made me feel important and valued.  I can not begin to express my gratitude to Dr. Thal and everyone at Thal Equine LLC.

I recently brought a Registered Quarter Horse from Kentucky to Santa Fe. It’s been a long time since I had horses, in fact, it’s been a good 30 plus years. Before "Mouse" arrived I did a lot of research trying to find who was the best farrier and the finest equine vet. I was informed that Dr. Doug Thal was the best vet bar none. Within the past year I have had a few health concerns regarding Mouse. Doug has come out to the barn, or advised me on multiple occasions. I have been completely taken in by his professionalism, knowledge, and his genuine care. Just over Thanksgiving, Mouse had an intestinal issue that had been going on for several weeks. Though it was a holiday and he was away from the hospital, Doug kept in steady contact with me and steered me through. How many vets would do this? Not many, I think. This is just a tiny way to express my appreciation and to say thank you to Doug and his wonderful team. Laura in the office is one of the most personable and caring people I have encountered in quite a while. Also, Brian, Doug’s assistant, is another great and very personable member of Doug’s team. All in all, I simply feel very fortunate to know that Doug is there when Mouse and I should need him.

Dr. Thal is widely known for his success as a colic surgeon. So when my mare was experiencing acute colic symptoms, she was rushed to his clinic. She was quickly diagnosed with a colon displacement; her colon was pushed up her left side and caught on a ligament and her spleen! It is a fluke condition with a surgical solution. My mare was prepared for surgery. But Dr. Thal explained that sometimes an non surgical technique of rolling the horse over and manipulating the colon from the outside can resolve the issue. He offered to try that first!! Even though I authorized surgery, this expert surgeon was willing to try a less invasive, less expensive, and less guaranteed solution first! I was blown away! Apparently he and his team are also experts at rolling with a high rate of success in appropriate circumstances! The team worked like a machine. The rolling worked to free her colon and she was up and recovering in half an hour! I am so grateful that they not only saved her life, but saved her from a long, vulnerable recovery. She was back to her normal work in a few days and has her full health and career in front of her! I cannot thank Dr Thal and his team enough and I cannot recommend them more highly!

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Thal and his team. My endurance horse had a mystery hind end lameness that several other vets couldn't seem to diagnose. Dr. Thal was a meticulous detective and eventually figured out the surprising root cause. He completed surgery on my boy, and just as expected, 6 months later I have my horse back and we are competing again in endurance rides. THANK YOU DR THAL!!

Doug Thal has been the veterinarian for Twin Willows Ranch for over twenty years. Doug has attended the ranch horses in countless situations both at the ranch and at his clinic. In my estimation Doug is the finest Equine Vet in the region. There is never a question as to who to call when one of the horses is in need of veterinary attention. I believe that Doug's knowledge is unparalleled. First in his class at U.C. Davis, and first in our horses hearts.

I can not thank Doug Thal enough for saving my horse Casper. Casper is my best friend and means the world to me. I don’t know what I’d do without him. Casper has had two colic surgeries. In 2021, he had colicked and was in extreme pain. We took him to Doug that night. He found out that he had a severe impaction that could not resolve without surgery. The decision had to be made quickly. We were able to go forward with the surgery and Doug did the most amazing job. Doug worked for hours to make sure everything went well. I am forever grateful that we could do the surgery and for Doug. I couldn’t imagine a better vet than him. The next day, I got to go see Casper when he was recovering to say hi. It was the best thing to get to see his sweet little face poking out the stall door. He had the best care from Doug and his staff. We got to take him home later on and followed Doug’s instructions to make sure he continued to recover well. I was so excited to go pick him up and so thankful to have my little boy back home. In 2022, Casper had colicked again but this time he was much worse. He wouldn’t walk very far before laying down again. It was heartbreaking to see him in so much pain. We were able to get him in the trailer and take him to Doug. He ultrasounded him and found out that he had a 720 twist. Doug said that the only option that could save him was a complete colon resection since the twist had cut off the blood flow to the colon causing the tissue to die. He said the chances were low that he would survive this surgery. We decided to try our best to save him and go forward with the surgery. Doug, his wife, and his amazing team spent hours through the night working on taking the colon out, a very difficult and complicated surgery. Thanks to Doug’s incredible work, Casper made it through! Now he needed to recover. He had ups and downs but Doug did everything he could to help him. He made it through and we eventually took him home! Doug also spent the time to come up with a specific diet that worked for Casper since his gut was sensitive to certain things. Because of Doug, I have my Casper. He is looking better than he has ever looked and is happier than ever. We had an amazing season last year and made it to the American Eventing Championships. I am so proud of him! He also definitely lets you know how happy he is to get his special food in the morning.😂 Doug is so talented at what he does and cares about every animal he treats and their owners. He will always go above and beyond for your horse. I am so grateful for everything he has done for me and Casper. Thank you Doug! -Mary Louise Snyder