Meet Judy Brown | Certified Equine Emergency First Aid Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Judy Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Judy, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Being an equestrian is a lifestyle. It takes tremendous time, finances, and perseverance to stay involved with horses. There are many ups and downs in the equestrian world, including injuries and sickness of these beautiful animals. In the wild, horses are flight or fight animals, and their first instinct is to run when they sense danger. Special expertise is needed to best handle a frightened or injured horse. That is why I teach equine emergency response and how to handle equine emergencies effectively.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am the owner and lead trainer at Equine Support Services USA. This is an organization that provides training to horse owners and riders, barn managers, farm owners, and other equestrian professionals regarding how to respond in an emergency situation with horses. We advocate that even one day of training can possibly save the life of a horse. We cover major illnesses, handling a variety of injuries, pain identification, conditioning a horse to accept medical treatment, how to take accurate horse vital signs, and many more topics. I completed training to become a certified instructor and then completed additional training. I have also taken my competition’s equine emergency first aid classes. I can sincerely say the program and courses we provide at Equine Support Services USA, as certified by Equi-First Aid USA, are informative, practical, and applicable to so many equine emergency situations. These are situations that we face on an ongoing basis working with horses. I believe the information taught in these classes should be essential for all involved with horses. I feel inspired by my work to help horses and improve outcomes in emergency situations.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I think San Diego offers some of the greatest diversity of food and entertainment anywhere in the USA. It is a tourist destination for travelers from all over the world. I love our beaches in Encinitas and the cute, walkable downtown area of Old Encinitas. Those of us involved in the horse world are so very fortunate to live here. We have world-renowned international horse shows almost every weekend within a very short drive. Mary’s Tack & Feed in Del Mar is nationally known and respected. We have the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club racing at the San Diego Fairgrounds twice each year and have two highly regarded equine emergency surgical centers (San Luis Rey and Helen Woodward). In San Diego County near me, we have Olympic-level equestrians training here on a regular basis. Some of them, like Steffen Peters (dressage rider), will represent the USA in Paris this summer. We are fortunate to have many outstanding equestrian trainers involved in various aspects of the sport located right here in San Diego.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am deeply grateful for the dedicated training I received from Amber Palmer, CEO of Equi-First Aid USA. This organization teaches and certifies instructors throughout the USA. She has dedicated her life to helping horses have a better chance of survival in emergencies and is very dedicated to her organization. We have tremendous support from this organization, which provides us with veterinarian-certified materials and ongoing equine emergency first-aid training. I am also deeply grateful to my equestrian trainers and fellow riders, who continually inspire me.

Website: https://equinesupportservices.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equinesupportservices/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EquineSupportServices