Farm & Large-Animal Vets in Hertfordshire

Farr and Pursey Equine Veterinary Services Limited is a fully independent, horse-only veterinary practice with an explicit focus on preventative healthcare and management. The practice describes using up-to-date mobile equipment and offering tailored care for both pleasure and competition horses. Its service list points to capability in both routine work (vaccinations and dental) and more involved investigations and performance-focused assessment (lameness workups, gait analysis, internal medicine investigations), alongside procedures such as gastroscopy and laser surgery. Google shows a 5.0-star rating from 1 review; however, the latest written reviews available to us don’t include any text, so there’s no detailed owner feedback to quote.

Services

Services stated on the clinic website include

• •Routine vaccinations (horses)
• •Routine dental work
• •Lameness workups
• •Gait analysis (performance/movement assessment)
• •Internal medicine investigations
• •Reproductive services
• •Gastroscopy
• •Laser surgery

Out-of-hours: the website states that clients should first try the main practice number to speak to the duty vet.

Reviews

Google rating: 5.0 stars from 1 review. “”

No written review text was available to summarise—only star ratings and reviewer names were provided—so specific themes (what was done, what was praised, or any problems) can’t be confirmed from reviews.

Julian Covarr Equine Ltd appears to be an equine-focused veterinary provider based on its business name. Beyond that, the available data doesn’t include any stated clinical facilities, specific services, or written feedback describing what appointments or treatments involve.

Reviews

Google rating: 5 stars from 1 review. No written review text was available to summarise—only star ratings and an author name were provided.

Alistair Poole Veterinary Surgery (A J Poole) describes itself as a long-established, independent small-animal practice set up over 30 years ago by Alistair and Sue Poole. The website highlights same-day appointments for ill pets, a repeat-prescription service (including a postal option), and out-of-hours emergency cover provided by the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. Reviews most often describe ongoing care for cats and dogs (including dentistry, eye problems, and referral on for a spinal injury), with one review reporting the practice refused to see an unregistered dog that was choking.

Services

• •Small-animal veterinary care for a wide range of pets: dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, rats, mice, pet fish, tortoises, lizards, snakes, and birds (website).
• •Same-day appointments for ill pets (website).
• •Repeat prescriptions, with a postal option (website).
• •Dentistry mentioned in reviews (tooth extraction for a dog; owners describe being given “so much information” afterward).
• •Grooming/coat trim mentioned for a cat (“trim with lovely Lisa”) (review).
• •Management of eye problems in a bulldog, with options explained (review).
• •Prompt care and referral to a specialist vet after a Labrador spinal injury (review).
• •Out-of-hours emergency cover is provided by the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (website).

People

• •Gillian: thanked for “talking us through all options” and reassuring an owner while their dog was being treated for eye problems (review).
• •Lisa: mentioned for giving a cat a trim (review).
• •Team feedback is often about clear explanations and thoroughness (e.g., detailed information after a tooth extraction), plus long-term relationships with owners across multiple pets (reviews).

Reviews

Google rating: 4.8 stars from 97 reviews. - Owners describe the team as accommodating and good with cats; several mention long-term care for multiple pets (cats and guinea pigs).

• •Clear communication is a recurring detail: thorough explanations after a dog’s tooth extraction, and being talked through treatment options for eye problems.
• •Several reviews mention handling more serious situations: prompt care and referral to a specialist after a spinal injury.
• •One negative review alleges the practice refused to assess a choking dog because it wasn’t registered; this conflicts with the generally positive accounts of responsiveness and care.

Three Bears Vets is an independent mobile veterinary service established in January 2019 by Dr Mike Groombridge, focused on providing veterinary care in pet owners’ homes. Reviews repeatedly describe home visits that avoid waiting-room stress, including at-home euthanasia where pets passed peacefully in their owner’s arms. Owners also mention thorough medical work-ups for acute illness (e.g., severe vomiting/diarrhoea and abdominal pain) and proactive follow-up, including out-of-hours check-ins over a weekend. Some reviews note that, for those within their catchment, appointments at the practice premises are also available.

Services

• •Home-visit veterinary appointments (explicitly described by multiple reviewers, and stated on the website).
• •In-practice visits are mentioned as available for those within the clinic’s catchment area (per reviews).
• •Support for acutely unwell pets, with owners describing investigations and treatment for severe gastrointestinal illness (vomiting/diarrhoea/stomach pain).
• •Blood sampling (a cat visit where bloods were taken).
• •Microchipping/rechipping (rechipped when an existing chip couldn’t be located).
• •Euthanasia at home, described by multiple owners as calm and dignified, with the pet passing at home and the vet taking the pet away wrapped in a blanket.

People

• •Dr Mike Groombridge (founder; named on the website). Reviewers also mention Mike attending home visits and helping owners feel at ease during end-of-life appointments.
• •James (named in reviews): described as checking in “out of hours and even over the weekend” during a dog’s deteriorating illness, and as visiting with a nurse to take bloods and rechip a cat.
• •Other team members named in reviews: Jules, Andrew, Emma. Owners describe them as spending time talking through options and being flexible.

Reviews

Google rating: 4.9 stars from 77 reviews. “”

• •Home visits as a core feature: owners value avoiding waiting rooms and having care delivered at home.
• •End-of-life care: multiple reviews describe at-home euthanasia as peaceful and sensitive, with owners holding their pets and describing the process as dignified.
• •Follow-up and availability: one owner reports proactive out-of-hours/weekend contact to monitor a sick dog and provide advice.
• •Thorough, option-focused consultations: owners mention time spent discussing choices and a flexible approach.
• •Specific procedures mentioned: bloods taken during a home visit; rechipping performed when a chip couldn’t be found.
• •Pricing: one reviewer explicitly mentions “very good prices,” but no actual fees are stated.

Ballinger Equine is a first-opinion ambulatory equine veterinary practice for horses and ponies, focused on on-site diagnosis and treatment using advanced diagnostic imaging equipment. The website highlights a 24/7, 365 emergency service, and reviews echo fast response to emergencies and practical, yard-based workups (including lameness exams and leg scanning). Specific examples mentioned include a detailed lameness exam with Susanna, urgent call-outs for colic and a facial abscess with referral onward for further treatment, and imaging that helped avoid a hospital trip in one reported injury case.

Services

• •Ambulatory (on-site) equine vet care for horses and ponies, including on-site diagnosis and treatment (practice describes use of advanced diagnostic imaging equipment at the yard).
• •Emergency care: stated 24/7, 365 emergency service with veterinary surgeons responding to emergency calls.
• •Pre-purchase examinations / vettings (website-listed; also described in reviews, including a case where the horse “failed” and the owner was informed immediately and given the choice whether to continue the vetting).
• •Annual health checks (website-listed).
• •Lameness examinations (explicitly mentioned in reviews).
• •Review-referenced case types/interventions
• •Colic episode managed during a call-out.
• •Facial abscess seen on an initial visit, noted as worsening, with further care and referral for ongoing treatment.
• •Leg scanning performed without travelling to a hospital (imaging mentioned in reviews).

People

• •Susanna / Susannah (vet): repeatedly named for lameness exams and longer-term support. Owners specifically mention a “better lameness exam,” being “pleasant and easy to deal with,” and being available for advice when needed.
• •Laura (vet): credited with being very thorough during a call-out, and helping keep owners at ease during a colic episode, alongside management of a facial abscess case that later required referral.
• •Katie (office): mentioned as friendly and approachable, alongside “all the vets” being described as approachable.

Reviews

Google rating: 4.8 stars from 104 reviews.

• •Lameness workups are a standout, with multiple mentions of a particularly good lameness exam with Susanna.
• •Emergency responsiveness is described as fast, with owners reporting swift attendance for urgent situations.
• •On-site diagnostics/imaging are highlighted, including a report of leg scanning at the yard and a case where carried equipment helped avoid a hospital trip.
• •Communication and reassurance during stressful cases: examples include keeping owners calm during a colic episode, and clear, immediate updates during a pre-purchase vetting (including being offered the choice to continue after the horse failed).