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It has been an exciting few months at Avonvale Equine Practice with our Director and equine vet, Claire Maher winning the prestigious Baileys Horse Feeds Vet of the Year award at the Horse & Hound Awards 2025. The award recognises the difference that this skilled professional has made to horses’ lives and owners’ lives.
Everyone at the practice is delighted with Claire’s award win and some of the practice team, including Co-Director Naomi de Pennington and Practice Manager, Debbie Glover joined Claire at the awards ceremony.
The Baileys Horse Feeds Vet of the Year award recognises the difference that equine vets make to horses and their owners and also the best possible healthcare that they deliver.
Claire was delighted to win the award, after already being humbled for her initial nomination. The fact that the award is decided entirely by public vote, made the award win even more impressive, with Claire receiving an exceptional level of support in the vote. In total, more than 107,000 votes were cast across various categories, which represents just how strong the competition was.
Speaking to Horse & Hound at the award ceremony, Claire commented “I love the variety of my work – I never know what’s coming each day. It’s exciting and there are highs, but of course lows, too. I’m lucky to be out in the countryside, have such lovely clients, and I love helping horses reach their full potential.
“It’s been a really good year – and it’s been great to see patients getting back to what they love doing and knowing I had a small part to play. As a practice, we’ve also moved premises to become ambulatory, which will ensure we can remain independent and continue to provide a personalised service to our wonderful clients. The whole team has pulled out all the stops.”.
Award winners, including Claire were announced on Wednesday 26th November at the annual Horse & Hound Awards Dinner, which was held in partnership with NAF and Agria at the Dallas Burston Polo Club in Warwickshire. Winners, nominees and guests were joined by equestrian stars including competitors from this summer’s European Championships.
Claire is a dedicated and highly respected equine vet with a specialist interest in Equine Orthopaedic Surgery. Since qualifying from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 2007, she has worked almost exclusively in equine practice, gaining extensive experience across the field. She joined Avonvale Equine in 2014 and became a Director in 2015 alongside Naomi de Pennington.
An RCVS-recognised Advanced Practitioner in Equine Orthopaedic Surgery, Claire holds a master’s-level certificate in the discipline and leads the orthopaedic team at Avonvale Equine. Her interest in both competition horses and leisure horses, leaves her well placed to care for all types of equines across different disciplines.
Claire is also an RCVS certified Riding Establishment Inspector, who inspects establishments where horses undertake ridden activities and works for the British Equestrian Federation blood testing horses for prohibited substances at competitions. These roles allow her to play a key role in upholding high standards of care and equine welfare.
Avonvale Equine Practice are a fully ambulatory and proudly independent equine vet practice based in Upton, Banbury. We deliver high quality equine veterinary care including our own in-house 24/7 emergency callouts to horses in our coverage area, which includes parts of Cheltenham, The Cotswolds, Birmingham, The Midlands, Northampton, Buckingham, Oxford, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. We are passionate about quality veterinary care that puts the horse and their owner first.
Get in touch with us to discuss your equine’s requirements or register your horse with our practice online. Let your horse/s be cared for by our experienced and highly qualified equine vets and vet nurses including Claire, the Baileys Horse Feeds Vet of the Year 2025.
