LOCH Leven Equine Practice, based in Kinross, are well on with their plans to create a specialist equine veterinary practice in Fife after securing a £516,000 loan with Bank of Scotland to help them provide specialist surgery to horses throughout the region.

Significant financial support from Bank of Scotland now also sees the introduction of a fully equipped theatre, two new examination rooms, five stables, an indoor trot-up area and staff offices at the Kinross-based practice, which covers Kinross-shire, Perthshire and Fife. The development work is due to be completed by the end of summer 2013.

Practice partner, Hugh Somerville, is one of only a handful of vets in Scotland to hold a postgraduate certificate in equine orthopaedic surgery and has over 16 years of dedicated experience in equine practices across the UK. However, before this latest investment in its business' facilities, Loch Leven Equine Practice was having to turn away an estimated £120k worth of equine surgery business each year.

Liz Burton from the Loch Leven Equine Practice, said: "Our ambition to become one of Scotland's leading referral equine practices is now becoming a reality thanks to support from Bank of Scotland. As a practice, we're now able to show our continued commitment to our clients, their horses and the specialist service we provide."