Katherine Broaddus '83, DVM '86

Owner, Broad Run Veterinary Service, Inc. in Bluemont, Virginia

How VMCVM equipped me for the 'real world'...
VMCVM equipped me for the real world with the excellent field service veterinarians and my externships with Peachtree Chet Anderson DVM in Maryland and the doctors who ran the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in its inception. The pearls of wisdom and the skills needed to perform as a veterinarian were instilled. Enabling me to have the fortitude to open my own practice a few months after graduation.

Best part of being a VMCVM alum...
Being an alum has allowed me unlimited access over the years to top doctors and unquestionable advice without judgment. Continual and lifetime access to consult about cases.

Best advice I've gotten....
Don’t be afraid.
Don’t practice the first year forty times.

How would you capture the essence of your work in a newspaper headline...
Forty years of AH HA! Unique problem-solving abilities enable veterinarian to achieve a medical score and help their clients by improving their horses' health.

My hidden talent...
Talents!
Horseshoeing.
Being able to drive a skid steer, farm machinery and air brake trucks!
Troubleshooting mechanical issues on trucks!
Former ultra runner nationally ranked.
One of a few women to finish the Vermont 100 both on horse and foot.

A person who has inspired me...
Dr. Ed Michelitch, Owner at the time of Great Falls Animal Hospital
The German Shepard man! Who gave me my first job and mentored me from high school to vet school.
Believing in women in veterinary medicine and young people.

What did you learn at the college that you never thought you would benefit from?
Poultry medicine and how to draw blood from a chicken!

Biggest misconception about my job or industry...
That veterinarians enter the profession because they love animals.
I entered the profession because I am a problem solver, and to that end, help the owners have a better life with their horse.

Words of encouragement to a current veterinary college student...
Put down your device, turn it off. Put down the ultrasound. Learn how to get a complete history and physical examination. Most cases can be figured out or diagnosed by these methods.
You get out of the profession what you put in!.

Fondest college memory or tradition...
Fondest memory is training horses for endurance on the trails at speed and with reckless abandon! Second of fondest ... building my own barn for the horses after class!

A cause I'm most passionate about... The most formative experience I've had...
I am passionate about two things. Preaching to owners of horses to be self-reliant and have a plan. Make sure you have transportation available at all times for your horse and have the skills for urgent issues on the road or farm. Have a GO bag. Prepare for death. Play out the what ifs ahead of time.
I am also passionate about exposing people to foxhunting and carriage driving to preserve them for the future.

Top of my bucket list...
Done ….. TEVIS 100 top ten! Next, travel to Germany to educate myself on combined driving.

My favorite quote...
A nod or a wink is all the same to a blind horse

Being a VMCVM alumnus means...
Being an alumnus means being part of an organization that enables me to have access to advanced veterinary medical advice and referrals.

How many pets/animals live at home? Can you tell us about them?
Flo: Saddlebred cross 100-mile endurance horse, now the ultimate carriage horse!
Fougueux: Endurance horse 100-mile champ! Now learning driving.
Tag: Connemara cross endurance horse and foxhunter.
Maybelline: TB rescue foxhunter.
Lapcos Nima: Arab starting her endurance career.
Coral. homebred Belgian Rockpoint, best foxhunter ever!
LEIDL: German shepherd dog, aka shredder.
Tangerine: Norwegian cat. Guards the house!

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