Meet Jay Merriam | Equitarian! The Donk Doc! Veterinary surgeon and healer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Merriam and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, what do you attribute your success to?
Being willing to provide healthcare to the least appreciated animals in the world. These are the working horses donkeys and mules who move the world. They never receive appropriate veterinary care or appreciation for the life-saving service they provide to their families who cannot Live without them. Their presence is a reminder to all of us that wealth and fame are not as important as hard work and dedication. We were willing to sacrifice our time and finances to provide the best possible care for these animals that in turn provide income and stability to their human families. We spent countless hours, days and weeks working in tropical conditions in some of the most poverty stricken nations in the world. We were willing to do this with a sense of pride and respect We trained veterinarians all over the world in the latest treatments and techniques for helping these Animals who are often neglected by main stream and government medical programs.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As an equine veterinarian I have treated horses as patients for over 50 years. I have been a surgical specialist, an Olympic consultant and an internationally known worker on the specific problem of performance sports. I have also been part of several charitable organizations which I founded with partners to provide the best and highest level service to the animals least known and respected, We working horses donkeys and mules that move 2/3 of the worlds agricultural products at some point in their production. I have examined and treated animals in the most remote parts of this hemisphere and Africa. I have trained veterinarian students and caregivers all over the world to provide these animals proper care.
I was trained as a surgeon and entered a race horse practice in Massachusetts where I remained for over 40 years. While there, as President of the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association. We began a charitable service project in Samana, Dominican Republic that’s now been serving a rural population of animals and owners for 30 years. I have performed thousands of surgeries there in rural areas with no electricity, running water or facilities. We have taught hundreds of students and veterinarians in”jungle medicine” and using local resources to perform the highest level of surgery and medicine.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would begin in Carbondale, CO at Bonfire Coffee. A locally owned coffee roaster and restaurant that has become the office away from the office for the many entrepreneurs in our lovely Roaring Fork Valley. We’d then go to Sunlight Mountain to get tuned up for some serious skiing away from the madding crowds at Aspen/Snowmass. After a few runs on the fastest black diamond in the valley (my personal record is 62 MPH) we can head “up Valley to see the big mountains. There is also the possibility of spending an afternoon “on the River” fly fishing! The fish have to eat in the winter so fishing on a sunny afternoon is a riot of hungry trout looking for food! It’s also a bit of a mental shift from ripping moguls to tip toeing through slippery rocks and crystal clear mountain water. After a few hours of this, return to The Tipsy Trout in Basalt for a warm up and a casual perusal of a 3 page menu that is sure to fill you up!’
Another gastronomic treat on one day is a trip to the Pine Creek Cookhouse in the ghost town of Ashcroft. It’s about 10 miles west of Aspen to Ashcroft, once a powerful and prosperous mining town, now a carefully restored historic site. From a lodge on Main street one can take a horse drawn sleigh to the restaurant or pick up a pair of cross country skis and work up an appetite. No matter, this 5 star gem will get you comfortable, re-hydrated and nourished in a top of the line way and fortify you for the return.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This story is devoted to the working animals of the world. They support 2/3 of the families in the undeveloped world and never get the attention or care they deserve. As an equine veterinarian for over 50 years I have Dedicated two thirds of my professional life to work with these animals, their caregivers and their families wherever they are. My partners and I formed the Equitarian Initiative as a way to engage Equine vets and caregivers with our story , providing direct care and training all over the world .It is and will continue to be, a significant part of my personal and professional life. We see these animals in this country carrying the disabled, wounded and the over stressed on a journey of repair and new Hope. These animals never ask questions they never say no and they are always with us. They are on American Indian reservations they are in the working poor subsistence agriculture throughout this hemisphere and the rest of the world I have been supported by friends clients and colleagues in this country.. We hav.e found sustenance in training and supporting educational efforts of students all over the world to become equine veterinarians caring for working animals. an Informative book that I read early on was Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. It is the story of Dr. Paul Farmer who became a barefoot medical missionary in Haiti and began to solve the worlds AIDs crisis as soon as it began.

Website: https://www.equitarianinitiative.org

Facebook: Equitarian Initiative Project Samana

Image Credits
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