Dr. Mindy Smith Honored as AAEP Good Works Recipient for August

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) applauds Mindy Smith, DVM, the August honoree of the Good Works for Horses campaign, who has supersized her practice’s philanthropic impact by enabling its nonprofit clients to circumvent financial constraints and deploy expensive medical diagnostics and procedures at no cost.  

Good Works for Horses, sponsored by AAEP Educational Partner Zoetis, honors AAEP-member practitioners whose volunteer efforts are having a positive impact on the equine community. Dr. Smith was among more than a dozen AAEP-member veterinarians nominated for the award in August by horse owners and equine organizations. Also recognized for their industry altruism were runners-up David Asmar, DVM, owner of Eagle Fern Equine Hospital in Estacada, Ore.; and Mike Tomlinson, DVM, MBA, owner of Tomlinson Equine in Thousand Oaks, Calif. 

Dr. Smith owns Iron Horse Equine, a three-doctor predominantly ambulatory practice in Elizabeth, Colo. Among its clientele are three nonprofits—two equine rescues and a therapeutic riding center—for whom the practice traditionally discounted its services by 15–20%. Although helpful, Dr. Smith envisioned producing a much greater impact, which inspired creation of “Iron Unicorn Days” in 2022. 

According to Dr. Smith, “We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if instead of trickling in a little bit of help, what if we brought our whole team to the nonprofit and we do all the most expensive things we can in one day and we just donate it all?’” 

Iron Unicorn Days are held once every six months on a rotating basis among the practice’s nonprofit clients and in place of discounted services. On each occurrence, the practice donates between $15,000–$30,000 worth of work, which includes considerable diagnostic imaging, lameness, joint injections, dentistry, bloodwork and shockwave therapy. The employment of diagnostic imaging modalities previously unattainable due to conservative budgets of most nonprofits have yielded answers to ongoing medical questions and provided treatment options and a path forward for these equine patients.  

Besides the value of its donated work, the practice forgoes a day’s worth of revenue by being closed; its techs and office staff still receive their standard wage. Despite the expense of Iron Unicorn Days, Dr. Smith indicated that twice a year is manageable and provides a great deal of spiritual fulfillment.  

“It fills our cup,” she said. “This is a hard job, and we end up not being able to fix our patients as much as we’d like to every day. Being able to give back and help feeds our souls, and it’s definitely worth the time and lost revenue donating it and just seeing how grateful the nonprofits are for the help. It’s really, really satisfying.” 

From June through August, the AAEP’s Good Works for Horses campaign spotlighted AAEP-member practitioners whose volunteer efforts are improving the health and welfare of horses. Each monthly winner remains eligible to win the contest’s grand prize, which will be announced Dec. 8 at the AAEP’s 70th Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla.  

About AAEP 

The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its over 9,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.