BRED FOR THIS JOB

A native of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Carroll grew up in a family steeped in the Thoroughbred world. The daughter of lauded Thoroughbred trainer and champion polo player Delmer “Del” Carroll and his wife, veterinarian and fellow trainer Klobia “Klo” Carroll, the younger Carroll learned from an early age to pay close attention to the subtlest nuances in a horse’s muscling and movement.

Get to Know Dr. Larkspur Carroll

Title Owner of CORE Therapies and AppleRidge Farm

Hometowns Hot Springs, Arkansas, and North East, Maryland

Education University of Maryland (undergraduate in biological science) and Ohio State University (veterinary school)

Licensures and Certifications

Currently licensed in Kentucky and New York; Chi Institute of Chinese Medicine Certification; International Veterinary Chiropractic Association

Specialties Chiropractic, acupuncture, Class IV laser, PEMF

Family Aurea (daughter), Delmer (father), Klobia (mother), Del (half brother), Robin (half sister)

It was in those predawn hours, piloting thousands of racehorses, that she developed a keen understanding and intuition about the subtle movements and biomechanics of the equine athlete. That knowledge, combined with her academic coursework and veterinary experience, gave her a uniquely informed perspective as a racetrack practitioner.

But she felt she had more to offer.

Over the years, Carroll’s practice evolved from a traditional ambulatory racetrack practice to incorporating manual therapies, such as chiropractic and acupuncture. Today, under the banner of CORE Therapies, she focuses exclusively on those modalities for some of the industry’s top racing stables as well as sales consignors and sport horse operations.

After Del Carroll’s passing following a training accident at Keeneland Race Course in 1982, the family settled in North East, Maryland, near Fair Hill. There, Klo Carroll built a thriving mixed animal practice and continued to train a handful of horses each year. At home on the back of a horse, Larkspur Carroll galloped racehorses in the mornings, helped her mother at the clinic and in the barn when not in school and was a regular on the mid-Atlantic region’s horse show circuit.

Throughout her undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland and veterinary school at Ohio State University, Carroll continued to ride at the track while taking a full courseload and earning near-perfect marks as she prepared for an intended career in racetrack medicine.

After graduating from veterinary school, Carroll was selected for an internship with Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, and it was there that she was first exposed to veterinary chiropractic work. Following that internship, she worked for Dr. Daryl Easley, who at the time was a racetrack practitioner who held certifications in both chiropractic and acupuncture.

“Modalities like chiropractic and acupuncture were not part of my upbringing, which made me a bit of a skeptic, but I wanted to be the best lameness and sports medicine practitioner I could be,” Carroll said. “I wanted to have every possible tool in my toolbox.”