The Hagyard story, now known worldwide for its deep expertise in horse care, actually began with the care of a bull. In 1875 Dr. E.T. Hagyard, Fallon’s great-great-grandfather, from the Ontario Vet College to Winchester, Kentucky, to treat a shorthorn bull. Seeing the opportunities the area offered him, Hagyard moved to Kentucky a year later and opened his large animal practice.
Dr. Luke Hagyard Fallon, a fifth-generation physician from the family of Hagyard’s founders, attributed the veterinary practice’s success over 150 years to adhering to two simple principles.
“It starts with integrity. We are focused on ensuring these equine athletes live healthy, happy and great lives,” Fallon said. “That starts with an honest assessment of their condition, communicating that clearly to their owners and then doing what is in the best interests of the business, the horse and the owner.”
“I think innovation has also played a big role,” Fallon continued. “We have always pushed ourselves to stay at the forefront of healthcare advancements, keeping an eye on what’s new in human healthcare and seeing how it might apply to horses. This is especially true in thoroughbred and performance horses, where advances in human performance and care have paved the way for diagnostics and preventative care.”
To that end, the Hagyard family and Hagyard veterinarians have been at the forefront of a number of veterinary medical innovations. These include the rise of the use of penicillin and antibiotics in horses, the development of parasite control programs to prevent foals from dying at alarming rates, the use of inhalation anesthesia, fetal sex determination, and the first caesarean section in horses. Hagyard has been involved in the majority of commercial equine vaccines used to prevent tetanus, botulism, herpes, viruses, abortions, influenza and more.
The 150th year will be marked by a variety of activities, including a renovation of the Lexington facility and continued investments in state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, to name a few.
One of the biggest initiatives of the year, however, is the creation of a nonprofit education fund intended to provide scholarships to aspiring equine veterinarians. Hagyard, in partnership with the Association of Equine Practitioners’ Foundation for the Horse, has set an audacious goal to raise $1.5 million dollars to provide annual scholarships in perpetuity.
“For a variety of reasons – not the least of which is a significant amount of student debt upon graduation – we are seeing the supply of equine veterinarians lagging behind demand,” Fallon said. “While we certainly want to spend some time honoring our history in 2026, we want to focus on looking ahead. Establishing these ET Hagyard 1876 Scholarships to help maintain the health of the equine care industry as a whole seems like the perfect way to ensure we continue to have an impact for the next 150 years.”
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
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