They have outstanding careers, practise their profession with passion, and celebrate the human–animal bond in their own unique way. Each month, discover the story of a truly inspiring woman. This month, meet Dr. Mathilde Leclère,full professor at the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire of the University of Montreal, specializing in equine internal medicine.

Mathilde, when you were studying veterinary medicine, did you already know which field you wanted to go into?

My initial plan was to work in the equine field, since I rode horses and really admired the stable’s veterinarian, Dr. Guy Giguère. But once I started veterinary school, the topics covered in different courses were so interesting that I decided to keep an open mind.

And your love of horses came back… full gallop?

Exactly! (laughs) I was also deeply inspired by several professors I met along the way, including Dr. Jean-Pierre Lavoie, whom I consider a mentor. He helped me secure a residency in large animal internal medicine at the University of California, and also involved me in research projects.

Today, you are a professor in internal medicine at the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire of the University of Montreal. What does your day-to-day look like?

I love how varied it is. About one third of my work is clinical teaching and patient care, one third involves research, writing and conferences, and the final third is classroom teaching. It’s incredibly rewarding to wear different hats within the same role, as each part feeds into the others.

Can you give us an example?

Of course. When I teach, I pass on my experience to students, but they also push my thinking further with their many questions… because I have to find the answers! (laughs)

As for your research, what topics are you working on?

I study the interactions between the gut microbiome and lung inflammation in equine asthma. I also work on different treatments for this chronic condition, which affects both older horses and young athletes. I can’t see myself devoting myself solely to research, clinical work, or teaching. My happiness lies in combining all three.

What are your patients like?

My patients are almost exclusively horses, and occasionally mules and donkeys. When I was a student, there were still many standardbred racehorses. They were hardworking, calm and predictable. Today, I see horses from both English and Western disciplines, as well as large draft horses and even miniatures. And with that diversity comes a wide range of clients, all with different backgrounds, but one thing in common: they truly love their animals. The human–horse bond is something special.

Every veterinarian has a few memorable cases. Which one comes to mind first?

It’s hard to choose. Recently, a client wrote to me just to let me know her horse was doing really well. I found it incredibly touching, because when we see horses in clinic, they are usually dealing with health issues. We meet them at a critical moment, and we don’t always hear what happens next. So knowing that our treatments made a difference that we helped resolve the situation, is always very rewarding.