A HORNDEAN woman has been named Vet of the Year by the UK’s oldest equestrian magazine.

Natalie McGoldrick beat three of the industry’s most respected veterinarians to win the Horse and Hound title during a gala dinner at Ascot Racecourse.

The founder of South Coast Equine Vets was nominated for the national award by some of her 650 clients.

And, having been shortlisted for the title last year, the 34-year-old went one step further to claim the Topspec Vet of the Year title in only her sixth year in business.

“It felt pretty good to win,” said Natalie, a former Churcher’s College pupil who graduated from Cambridge in 2008.

“A lot of the other practices and vets who were nominated are from very big practices whereas I’m just a one-man band, doing everything myself, so I thought I would struggle with the final vote.”

The magazine, which has a weekly circulation of 44,458, asked readers to put forward veterinarians for the title.

The final four were determined by a judging panel before going to a public vote, with Natalie’s clients responding in droves.

“I was shortlisted last year so to win it this year was the icing on the cake,” said Natalie. “It means a lot because it’s down to what clients have said, as a lot of them wrote in and said why I should win.

“There’s only two awards like this in the industry so it’s really hard to win one. It’s really great to have one of them under my belt.

“It means a huge amount to win something like this because it shows you what clients think of you.”

Natacha Bonner, who wrote in support of the nomination, said: “Natalie is not only a fantastic vet but also a sensible vet.

“She really cares about her clients and their horses, often texting out of hours to check they are doing well.”

Horse and Hound editor Pippa Roome said: “Huge congratulations to all the winners – it was a great thrill to see them all head up on stage to collect their awards.

“There was strong competition in all the categories, so the winners really deserve their accolades and we are honoured to be able to celebrate the heroes of the equestrian year in this way.”

The award was launched to celebrate the vets whose skill and professionalism make the most testing times of horse ownership that little bit easier. For more information about her business, visit www.southcoastvets.co.uk or look for South Coast Equine Vets on Facebook.