It’s About the Joy of Horses for Dr. Joyce

It’s About the Joy of Horses for Dr. Joyce

By Ali Patusky

When you think about an equine veterinarian, you might be surprised to know that Dr. Jay Joyce once prepared for his future profession by aiming darts at Cape Buffalo while hanging from a helicopter.

Dr. Joyce, who owns Total Equine Veterinary Associates and the Nova Fitness Center, equine rehab facility fits that picture perfectly.

The equine water treadmill and solarium at Dr. Jay Joyce’s Nova Fitness Center near Aldie has an oscillating and vibrating floor |that builds back and core muscles.

Photo by Erin Gilmore courtesy.

After graduating from the Naval Academy and spending the 1990s in the Navy, Joyce decided to change careers.

“The military was a great place to be, but very predictable,” he said. “I was like ‘I want more than that.’”

While stationed in Washington, D.C., he found his new direction at a friend’s small animal clinic, where he spent his free weekends. “I held dogs for x-rays and procedures,” he said. “There was no part of me that thought I’d be a vet at first.”

Nevertheless, he was captivated enough to spend two years taking night classes at the University of Maryland just to complete the requirements for veterinary school.

From there, he was accepted to eleven of them, ending up at the University of California- Davis. While there, he also spenttwo summers in South Africa, hanging from helicopters to dart Cape Buffalo for a tuberculosis study and implanting tracking devices in rattlesnakes.

Those experiences, he said, “certainly honed me in on animal handling and safety. You could never let your guard down. It also made me realize the collaborative nature of the profession.”

After earning his degree, he realized the Washington region’s “high density of horses” made it the obvious location to start a practice. He moved to the area in 2003.

“Being in Northern Virginia allows me access to the type of clientele that I’ve always wanted to serve,” he said. “We have people that not only want a super healthy horse, but also a healthy athlete, because the riders are athletes themselves.”

Total Equine Veterinary Associates opened in Leesburg in 2010 with a “total care” approach focusing on nutrition and fitness, in addition to lameness and injuries. The practice is now mobile. His new Aldie based rehab facility is at the Northern Virginia Equestrian Center which he operates. This includes an equine water treadmill and solarium that can be used for rehabilitation, fitness, reconditioning and recovery.

“The favorite part of my days is that I get to mix together all the things that make me happy,” Joyce said. “My sense of service is strong, to the community and the animals and I get to couple that with driving my truck on a dirt road, fixing things, and spending time with the animal I respect the most.”

Joyce also spends several days a month at the racetrack in Charles Town, West Virginia. He works as one of the state’s on-site vets to ensure the safety for all involved if a horse flips, spooks or has some type of lameness that may even lead to scratching from the race.

And for aspiring veterinarians, Joyce said, “Don’t be afraid to think about veterinary school later in life. You can bring something fresh to the profession. And be a large animal vet. There’s a scarcity.”