All in the Family for Katie Fitzgerald

All in the Family for Katie Fitzgerald

By Pat Reilly

Katie Fitzgerald comes from a family of veterinarians—mother, father, brother, uncle, sister-inlaw and even a cousin. She’s the only one in the family, though, who works exclusively with horses.

Dr. Katie Fitzgerald with daughter Hannah and Stella

Photo by Candace Boissy

“I resisted it at first because it’s what my parents did, but now I can’t picture myself doing anything else,” she said. “Horses are amazing animals. I’m in awe of how beautiful, strong, and yet, trusting they are.”

Fitzgerald grew up riding and training horses in central Pennsylvania, and knew early on that she wanted to spend her life working with them. That took her to the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated in 2010, followed by an internship at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Much as she credits the hospital with her expertise, she said, she missed the East Coast, where she did her undergraduate degree at Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Though she first came to the Piedmont in 2015, Fitzgerald didn’t get the polo bug until a couple of years ago. Now she plays in the newly formed Piedmont Ladies League once a week.

Like many equine veterinarians, Fitzgerald has an ambulatory practice. She specializes in breeding and sales preparation for yearlings, but that’s only a quarter of her business. The rest is general care, sport and herd health and emergencies.

Julie Coles had a new pony for her grandchildren with a very thick mane and used an electric clipper for a bridle patch. “It created a spot that seemed as if it was hurting him,” Coles said. She called Dr. Fitzgerald in near panic and she told Coles what to do on the phone and everything was fine.

On her farmette at English Chase in Marshall, where she has a three-stall barn, she has two pregnant mares in the field at the moment. She named the farm Southbelle after her Pennsylvania home.

“I’m so lucky to call this home,” she said, adding that she was welcomed to ride a hunt and sends her two-year-old daughter Hannah to a local Montessori School. “I love the community and the sense of community this area has.”

Hannah already has the horse bug.

“We were at a polo game and she was riding around on one of the horses,” she said. “She’s too comfortable on horses.”

And as a rider herself, Fitzgerald said, “I understand what my clients are asking. I’ve also been in the Thoroughbred business and own horses myself.”

Julie Coles had a sweet, new pony for her grandchildren with a very thick, Shetland-like mane. “He had so much forelock that he couldn’t see. So, for starters, I held up a one-inch piece of it to make a bridle path and began by taking a whack with a pair of scissors. I thought, wow, this is some strong mane and wondered why I had to push so hard to get the job done,” Coles said. “Then I SCREAMED as I saw the gaping, silver-dollar sized hole of flesh I’d just created in the poor pony’s neck! I was absolutely freaking out as I called and texted a picture of it to Katie. The pony just stood there like a champ. It was surreal.” Coles explained how Dr. Fitzgerald calmed her down and in a very reassuring voice stated what to put on it, how often to do so and said that it was all going to be ok. “She made me feel not quite so stupid and that this brave, little pony would be fine, which he was very quickly. Katie’s demeanor is typically kind and relaxed. She’s very smart with unwavering integrity. It’s no surprise that she’s also become a close friend. We trust her.”