Abingdon Equine brings a lifelong interest in horses to the work of veterinary care

Stephen Denton has been treating horses in the Abingdon area since 1993. Five years into that work, he established Abingdon Equine Veterinary Services, building a practice around the needs of animals whose health is inseparable from how they move.

Today, the ambulatory practice serves Southwest Virginia and neighboring parts of Tennessee and North Carolina, with work also extending to Aiken, South Carolina. Its services range from preventive medicine and dentistry to reproductive care, prepurchase examinations and the investigation of lameness. That breadth reflects the many roles horses occupy in their owners’ lives: athletic partners, breeding animals and companions requiring consistent attention over time.

Denton graduated from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992 and completed an equine medicine and surgery internship at the Ontario Veterinary College the following year. His continuing education has concentrated on lameness, sports medicine and rehabilitation, and he is certified in Equine Rehabilitation and Performance Medicine.

Those interests shape the practice’s equipment as well as its clinical focus. Digital radiography and ultrasound are among the diagnostic tools available, alongside endoscopy and laboratory services. The practice also offers several treatment and rehabilitation approaches, allowing an examination to lead to a discussion of options suited to the individual horse. The appropriate course depends on the veterinarian’s findings and the animal’s needs.

Veterinarian Jenna Moore brings another set of interests to the team. After receiving her veterinary degree in 2010, she remained at Virginia Tech to research equine malignant melanoma, completing a doctorate in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences in 2013. An internship at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center followed. Her clinical interests include oncology, dentistry and preventive care.

Moore’s connection to horses also reaches beyond the examination. She rode hunt seat and dressage while growing up, participated in Bridgewater College’s equestrian club and team, and serves as a volunteer leader for the Smyth County 4-H Horse Club. She also coaches the county’s horse judging and hippology teams, helping young people develop their knowledge of horse care and management.

Together, those backgrounds give Abingdon Equine a distinctly horse-centered identity: years of veterinary training, a continuing interest in how horses function and a place in the region’s equestrian community. Owners can contact the practice to discuss appointments and the services available for their horses.