Roger Smith is Professor of Equine Orthopaedics at the Royal Veterinary College, London, UK. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Cambridge University (UK) in 1987, having obtained a First for his undergraduate degree and a Cambridge Blue at swimming. After 2 years in practice, he returned to academia to undertake further clinical training as a Resident in Equine Studies at the Royal Veterinary College. Following his residency, he undertook a 3 year research project culminating in the award of a PhD for his studies on the extracellular matrix of equine tendon.

He remained at the Royal Veterinary College, first as a Lecturer in Equine Surgery, then as Senior Lecturer in Equine Surgery before his appointment as Professor in Equine Orthopaedics in December 2003.

He holds the Diploma of Equine Orthopaedics from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Specialist in Equine Surgery. He is a Diplomate of the European Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, and is also a Large Animal Associate of the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging.

In 2016, he was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for meritorious contribution to knowledge and was elected to president of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in July 2017.

He divides his time between running a specialist orthopaedic referral service within the Royal Veterinary College, where he is involved in lameness diagnostics, imaging and orthopaedic surgery, and continuing to direct research into equine tendon disease. His principal research interests are understanding the pathogenesis of tendon disease, diagnostics for tendon and ligament disease, and stem cell therapy for tendons in both horses and humans.

He is married to a medical doctor and has two sons.

David qualified from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2003, before travelling to New York, USA where he worked for four years in equine veterinary practice. After returning to Ireland he established his own equine ambulatory practice, focusing on imaging and treatment of equine athletes. David completed a European Equine Surgery Residency programme at UCD, Ireland before successfully passing the ECVS examination in February 2017.

David moved to the U.K. in June 2016 and he worked for a year as the surgeon in the Western Counties Equine Hospital in Devon. Before moving to Leahurst Equine Hospital, David spent a year as the surgeon in Bourton Vale Equine Clinic, near Cheltenham. 

David’s main area of interest is orthopaedic surgery and lameness. Whilst his passion is the equine athlete, David is interested in all aspects of surgery. His most recent research involves investigating ultrasound-guided sacroiliac and cervical facet injection techniques. He has also published work in the fields of joint surgery and synovial sepsis.