Four Legs and a Tale: The Autobiography of Leading Equine Vet Alan Walker - Softcover

Walker, J Alan

9780955312489: Four Legs and a Tale: The Autobiography of Leading Equine Vet Alan Walker

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0955312485 ISBN 13: 9780955312489

Publisher: Live Wire Books, 2014

For nine successive generations ,father to son,the Walkers have served the same widespread rural community on the borders of South Warwickshire and North Oxfordshire,first as farriers and then as vets ,since as long ago as the late 17th century.Alan Walker is the last in this long,unbroken line.The 350 year old tradition started by John Walker(1674-1737),who lived and worked in Long Compton as a farrier shoeing the coach horses that stopped off there or at one of the four coaching inns located to the north of the village,which had established itself as a major staging post on what was the main route from Oxford to the Midlands and the North of England. John's son,grandson and great-grandson all became farriers whist his great-great grandson Joseph-Alan's great-great grandfather-was the first to call himself a vet.Continuing to be based in and around Long Compton,the Walkers all worked mainly with horses.Alan,the first to gain full formal RCVS qualifications as a veterinary surgeon,went on to specialise in the treatment of racehorses making his name with trainers such as Jenny and mark Pitman,John and Martin Bosley John and Paul Webber.John Upson,Peter Hiatt and Peter Pritchard. In Four legs and a Tale Alan recalls the many great and often very colourful characters both human and equine,that he has worked with over the years .He traces the development of the family practice he inherited from his father from its humble origins in a small ,white tinned roof shed in the back garden of the old manor house in which he grew up into a modern veterinary hospital.In writing about the Walker family history,he also provides a fascinating insight into country life in rural England in the days when his grandfather and father still did their rounds of outlying farms and stables in a pony and trap and mixed all their own potions,using herbs and plants they either grew themselves or collected from the fields and hedgerows. It is in so many different ways a uniquely enthralling story

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About the Author:

From a very early age I was always fascinated by animals and my family tradition of Vets who were passionate about their care and welfare. After overcoming many obstacles I finally achieved a life long desire and almost a craving to follow the footsteps of my family.I qualified as a Veterinary Surgeon and relished every opportunity to be with animals(horses especially)and spent a most fulfilling career in their presence,caring ,healing and in awe of such beautiful creatures.

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