It’s not the intended goal of any medical professional to treat their patients so well that they don’t want to go home.
But that’s exactly what Deb Goldoni says her mare Chalk felt like after a month-long stay at the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center.
“I owe a huge thank you to the staff of the Large Animal Hospital for the 24×7 care showered on my horses,” Goldoni said. “Chalk was there for over 30 days prior to birth and honestly, I’m not convinced that she wanted to come home.
“She was the princess that had a visitor every hour of the day and night monitoring her progress, caring for any need, watching her sleep.”
Chalk came to Iowa State as part of the equine medicine’s foaling management program. During Chalk’s stay, the equine medical team monitored her closely for signs of foaling with fourth-year veterinary students performing routine fetal heart rate assessments three times a week.
“We will do those assessments on mares sooner based on signs of readiness of the mare alongside with milk secretion testing to inform us how close to foaling the mares may be,” said Dr. Theresa Beachler, assistant professor of theriogenology.
Chalk did foal routinely in mid-March 2026, delivering a health Quarter Horse colt – Rowdy.
Rowdy also met all his milestones including standing and nursing.
The care and attention Beachler and her team gave to Chalk and Rowdy is typical at Iowa State. Nonetheless Goldoni was very appreciative.
“I made many calls and a few visits during the month plus Chalk was at Iowa State,” she said. “I ask a lot of questions and can be a pain sometimes, but everyone was very kind and educated me in so many ways.”
That appreciation wasn’t lost on Beachler.
“We aim to show all of our clients and patients that kindness both in our actions, communication, and care,” she said. “We try to model that daily to our fourth-year students by having them involved closely in communicating with the clients, so they gain that experience and are one step closer to becoming practice-ready veterinarians.”
May 2026