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5 Jul 2024 | |
Old Boy News |
Class of 2002 |
2002 Nansen House Captain Christopher Elliott went on to graduate from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2007. Christopher followed his love of horses into a career in Equine Veterinary Medicine. He spent his early veterinary career split between primarily racetrack work in Australia, and sport horse work in the United Kingdom. He followed his passion for equine sports medicine and rehabilitation into a residency specialist training program at Randwick Equine Centre in Sydney, one of Australia’s leading equine specialist hospitals; passing his exams to become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in February 2017.
Christopher has worked in over 20 different countries on behalf of the FEI (the international governing body of equestrian sport) in various roles. Currently residing in Wellington, Florida, in addition to his daily work as a board-certified specialist at Palm Beach Equine Clinic, Christopher is the Veterinary Services Manager at the Wellington International show grounds, home of the Winter Equestrian Festival and host to 15 FEI jumping and 8 FEI dressage shows per year.
Christopher's dedication to equestrian sport and equine welfare is exemplified by his role as a Limb Sensitivity Examining Veterinarian at the Paris Olympics. This position, chosen directly by the FEI veterinary department, involves examining the legs of all the jumping horses prior to competition to ensure they do not have altered sensitisation. His work not only ensures fair, equal, and clean sport but also guarantees the fitness of each and every horse to compete, a testament to his commitment to the highest standards of veterinary care.
Christopher will also work daily at the Paris Olympics to implement the FEI heat management protocol. Within this protocol, veterinarians will closely monitor horses during training, warm-up, and competition for the early signs of heat stress. Christopher will utilize a Thermal Imaging Camera as a remote monitoring tool to identify horses potentially at risk of heat stress. When identified remotely, a horse can be examined by a veterinarian, have its rectal temperature taken, and undergo active cooling if required. The Paris 2024 Olympics have the potential to be very hot.
The Paris Games will be Christopher's third Olympics. His first Games were in Rio 2016, where he was a volunteer treating veterinarian for the Olympics and Vet Team Leader for the Paralympics.
Christophers' second Olympics was the COVID-affected Tokyo Games. Appointed by the FEI as the Veterinary Services Supervisor, Christopher lived and worked in Japan for a total of 5 months in the preparation, establishment, and implementation of every aspect of veterinary management for both the Olympics and Paralympics.
We wish Christopher all the best with his preparations in the lead up to Paris.