OCALA, Fla. — With a little over a month until the first day of the 2024 Summer Olympics, a professor at the University of Florida is getting ready to travel to Paris... not as an athlete, but as a veterinarian for the equestrian events.
When First Coast News spoke to Dr. Robin Bell, a clinical professor and equine sports medicine specialist at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, about working in the upcoming Olympics, he didn’t refer to the horses as animals, but athletes.
"The things that they can do and the things that they achieve – truly amazing," Bell said. "They're the reason I do that job. Honestly, I love working with them. And it's just such a great thing, it's actually an honor really to be able to work with these athletes."
With this being his third Summer Olympic Games with team Australia, Bell says his job starts even before they make it to the arena.
Bell says one of the most difficult parts of competing in the Olympic Games is getting the horses there, adding that his role as a veterinarian is crucial to keep the horse healthy while flying internationally.
"Horses have to fly in a plane for 16 to 24 hours. There's veterinary difficulties about traveling. Horses can be prone to getting pneumonia," Bell explained. "So, if they don't get their heads down, the respiratory system doesn't work properly."
With the horses having long days before and after competing, Bell works with a team larger than what other Olympic athletes get, all to ensure the horses are healthy and performing at their peak.
"We have physiotherapists, we have, you know, we have sports scientists with us as well," Bell said. "And obviously the veterinarian, so yeah, we have a team doctor, it's an army of people behind these athletes that you don't normally see."
Bell's overall job is to work around the clock to make sure every horse in the competition is at their best, both health and performance wise.
"Between 5:30 and 6 a.m., I watch every horse get worked every day," Bell said. "And depending on the time slot, because the Olympics are actually scheduled for us here in the states for the audience here, we can be competing as late as 11 or 11:30 p.m. at night. So, they tend to be quite long days. And when you stack them on top of each other, it's pretty hard."
What keeps the UF professor going is the thrill that comes with being a part of an Olympic team.
“We had a silver medal of Tokyo and being part of that team, and being acknowledged by the riders is actually one of my career highlights,” said Bell.
Bell says his first equestrian event starts July 30. You can see his horses in action during the 2024 Summer Games right here on NBC 12.