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There are few world events that match the anticipation and excitement of the Olympic Games. Through hard work and tenacity, Dr Chris Elliott has now managed to utilise his skills in vet medicine to attend the past four of them. By Tracey Porter
Dr Chris Elliott may have only just returned from his fourth Olympic appearance but has already set his sights on Brisbane 2032.
As one of only two Australians to have achieved Level 4 Official Veterinarian accreditation by equestrian sports governing body FEI, Dr Elliott has worked at the most prestigious showjumping, eventing, dressage and polo events across the globe, including stints at the Rio, Tokyo and Paris Olympics and the Beijing Paralympics.
During his most recent appointment at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, he was accredited as an International Technical Official (ITO) and responsible for examining the legs of all the jumping horses before competition to ensure they did not have altered sensitisation.
He was also required to work alongside team veterinarians including the Australian Equestrian Team’s head vet Dr Nathan Anthony, to implement the FEI heat management protocol, a set of guidelines used to identify horses potentially at risk of heat stress while in the hot Château de Versailles arena.
Dr Elliott’s work helps to ensure the sport is kept clean while guaranteeing the fitness of each horse to compete.
A graduate of the University of Queensland, Dr Elliott who was born and bred in Brisbane—but now calls Wellington, Florida home—has always had a passion for equine sports medicine and rehabilitation after becoming inspired while watching the Sydney Olympics as a youngster.
“Finding the right balance between short-term, athletic goals and long-term health and wellbeing of the horse is a constant balancing act,” he says. “Managing the veterinary demands of the competition horses can be challenging, but it is what I love to do.”
He started his career in mixed animal practice on the Mornington Peninsula before taking a one-year role at the world-renowned equine hospital of the Royal School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh. On returning to Australia, he undertook a rotating internship at Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital and spent his early veterinary career split between racetrack work in Australia and sport horse work in the UK.
He completed his residency at leading equine specialist hospital Randwick Equine Centre.
When not travelling the world at FEI events, he can be found working his “day job” as a board-certified specialist at Palm Beach Equine Clinic, or working as the veterinary services manager at the nearby showgrounds, which hosts 15 FEI jumping and eight FEI dressage shows each year.
Dr Elliott says while it is always exciting being chosen to work at such high-profile championship events, the welfare of the animal participants—as well as their human riders— remains paramount.
Finding the right balance between short-term, athletic goals and long-term health and wellbeing of the horse is a constant balancing act. Managing the veterinary demands of the competition horses can be challenging, but it is what I love to do.
Dr Chris Elliott
Dr Elliott says there are three groups of veterinarians required at every major championship. These include the team veterinarians whose job involves travelling with the teams to look after their daily needs and the treating veterinarians, who are hired by the organising committee and whose job it is to triage any injuries, similar to a paramedic at the side of a rugby field.
The third group are the regulatory veterinarians like Dr Elliott himself, who are the official veterinarians employed by the FEI and are there to ensure the overall health and safety of all competitors, the welfare of the horses and the enforcement of the FEI veterinary rules.
No expense is spared when it comes to safeguarding the welfare of animal participants at such events, with close to 120 veterinarians accredited for the Paris Olympics alone.
In addition, there was an onsite vet clinic, manned by specialists in internal medicine, surgery and diagnostic imaging, and a “full-blown clinic onsite which has all diagnostics, treatment, basically a field hospital.
“There is also a large amount of elite level referral equine practices not far from here around Paris and around the rest of France that we could have utilised if necessary,” Dr Elliott says.
While regulatory requirements remain relatively unchanged between events, one major difference between the COVID-impacted Tokyo Olympics and the more recent Paris Olympics was the impact of the weather.
As the veterinary services supervisor at the games, Dr Elliott was based in Tokyo for the whole summer where the humid heatwave pushed temperatures above 34°C several days in a row during the games. Owing to the high humidity there, organisers were forced to stage the equestrian events at night.
It was a different story in Paris. Dr Elliott says while it was still uncomfortably hot some days, humidity levels were lower overall allowing organisers to run the equestrian events during the day.
While not every vet has the flexibility or the desire to spend so much time on the road, Dr Elliott says for those who want to, the opportunities are boundless.
As with any job worth chasing, his advice is to begin at the bottom and work your way up. Aspiring equine sports medicine and rehabilitation vets also need to be willing to make sacrifices, he says.
“You’ve got to be in it to win it. There are stepping stones that young vets need to go through, giving up their weekends, giving up their spare time to learn from senior vets. Initially volunteering and then working their way to paid positions. Go to as many horse shows as you can, ask as many people as you can to try and shadow them and take those junior jobs.
“Vets early in their career might ask 10 people if they can gain an opportunity to learn and progress within the equine vet and FEI worlds. Maybe only one of them will give you an opportunity but if you get that chance make sure to run with it.”
