Montana Equine is a private veterinary referral hospital and practice that is dedicated to the highest quality diagnostic and therapeutic care of horses throughout Montana and beyond.
It is our primary goal to provide humane and respectful care to the horses entrusted to us, along with professional guidance, communication and compassion to the client/owner.
Doctors
Interns
Staff
Internal Medicine
Surgery
Lameness
Facility / Clients
Dr. Peter Heidmann grew up with working draft horses and learned horsemanship from old time Yankee horsemen. During veterinary school, he trained under board-certified specialist doctors in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. He completed an internship at Arizona Equine in Gilbert, Ariz. and a fellowship in medicine and surgery at Oregon State University. Following a three-year residency in internal medicine at UC Davis, Dr. Heidmann obtained board-certification in Internal Medicine, with special emphasis on neonatology, infectious disease, and ultrasound. In addition to his core internal medicine interests, Dr. Heidmann's practice also includes specialist lameness and performance evaluations, and advanced dentistry. Dr. Heidmann sees referrals and consults on cases from veterinarians throughout our region, and has served as an expert witness in many legal, welfare, and insurance cases. He enjoys speaking to small groups and larger formal seminars and is an adjunct faculty at the Washington State veterinary school in Pullman, WA. Please call or email Peter to arrange bookings for your group or meeting. Dr. Heidmann is the owner and hospital director of Montana Equine and enjoys relaxing in the back-country whenever possible. (E-mail - pheidmann@montanaequine.com)
Press for Dr. Heidmann
Lucky Sheep
Barrel Horse News: Colitis
Dr. Al Flint is a 4th generation Montanan born and raised in the Flathead Valley. Growing up, he explored the Bob Marshall Wilderness on horse back during the summers and has traversed the wilderness in the winter. He completed a Masters degree in Reproductive Physiology and a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Colorado State University prior to entering the College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Flint is currently pursuing formal training in Equine Surgery under Dr Jack Snyder. His professional interests include alternative pain management techniques and he is formally certified in Veterinary Acupuncture. His other professional interests are colic surgery, arthroscopy, lameness, advanced reproductive care, and preventative medicine. When not at work, Dr. Flint enjoys Montana's backcountry and time with his daughter. (E-mail - aflint@montanaequine.com)
Press for Dr. Flint
Lucky Sheep
Dr. Snyder giving Lameness Seminar at Montana Equine.
Tami Parrott grew up on a small sheep and goat farm in northwestern New Jersey, riding and showing Morgan horses. After spending a semester doing wildlife research in Kenya and finishing her undergraduate degree at Brown University, Tami had pre-requisite courses to complete before applying to veterinary school. While taking these courses, she taught chemistry and biology and coached basketball and softball at a private secondary school in New Jersey. During the summers, she worked as a back-country horseback trail guide for a guest ranch in Wyoming. An interest in science and love of horses as well as a growing appreciation for the mountain west led Tami to Colorado in pursuit of a career in veterinary medicine. In May of 2011, she graduated from Colorado State University with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, she moved to Montana and began her internship at Montana Equine in order to continue to gain clinical knowledge under the experienced mentorship of Dr. Heidmann and Dr. Flint. During the off hours, Tami enjoys spending time trail riding and hiking with her border collie, Sage and snow shoeing and skiing during the winter.
Susan Frost (Receptionist/Bookkeeper) was born in Cobleskill, N.Y. and moved with her family to Montana when she was 8 years old. Susan and her husband, John, have been happily married for 29 years and have 3 children. Susan earned an Early Childhood degree certification from Head Start and was in the childcare business for 15 years. As a business owner through the years she became experienced in grant writing, bookkeeping and also with public relations. Susan has always been involved in community youth activities from baseball, fundraising and many others. When not at work Susan enjoys photography, beading, scrapbooking and spending time with her family.
Mallory Hines (Veterinary Assistant) joined the Montana Equine team in May of 2010 as a veterinary assistant. Raised in Alaska, she now attends Montana State University's Equine Sciences and Pre-Veterinary Program. She has been around horses most of her life and actively rides with programs such as the United States Pony Club and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. Assisting in the equine veterinary world has inspired her to apply to the professional veterinary program and hopefully one day become an equine veterinarian herself.
Kimber Feher (Certified Veterinary Technician) was raised next to her father's veterinary practice in Brewer, Maine. After graduating with a Bachelors in Science from the University of Vermont and receiving her veterinary technician license she moved to the rocky mountain west. A strong passion for animals and their care has been her guide for a rewarding 13 year career in veterinary nursing.
At Montana Equine, we focus much of our time on lameness diagnosis and treatment. All of our doctors are well-versed in the details of advanced lameness diagnosis and treatment. Lameness can result from any number of sources, including not just joint disease, but also conformational abnormalities, inflammation in tendons (tendonitis) and ligaments (desmitis), bone injuries, muscle pain and developmental bone abnormalities (OCD). We always recommend a detailed, methodical approach to effectively localize the exact source of your horse's lameness. Brief exams may also be indicated under certain circumstances and are always offered upon request.
As part of the complete lameness exam, the veterinarians at Montana Equine will take a detailed medical and athletic history of your horse and will perform a thorough visual appraisal of the horse at rest. We will examine your horse for conformational abnormalities, palpate all pertinent musculoskeletal structures for pain, heat or swelling, and evaluate the gait under varying conditions and after joint flexion tests. This evaluation process directs the diagnostic tests we choose to perform, which may include nerve blocks (to regionalize the source of lameness) or ultrasound and radiographs, which help identify the specific causes of lameness.
Lameness cannot be effectively treated without a specific diagnosis. While some sources of lameness, such as foot abscesses and hock arthritis (spavin), are common and more easily diagnosed, lameness resulting from soft tissue injuries can be subtle and manifest as poor performance or reluctance to perform specific movements.
Our specialist veterinarians' all have advanced training in diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and disease. Their thorough approach informed by the most recent research and utilizing the most current techniques to help formulate a plan for returning your horse to its intended use and performance level.
IRAP, What Is It?, How Does It Work? - Dr. Heidmann
