Rural Veterinary Practices: Ben and Andrea Osborne provide quality care in rural Wyoming

Rural Veterinary Practices has been caring for the needs of small and large animals in southwest Wyoming for over 30 years.   

Dr. Ben Osborne and his wife Andrea relocated to Mountain View 14 years ago and purchased two established veterinary practices from Dr. Mark Isom in Fort Bridger and Dr. Kevin O’Neal in Green River. They have enjoyed being part of the Uinta County community.  

The couple now owns and operates two clinics – one in Fort Bridger and the other in Green River.

Ben, an Oregon native, grew up around agriculture as his dad who is a cattle buyer operated a mixed commercial cattle ranch in Lakeview, Ore.

After high school, Ben was inspired to further his education in veterinary medicine and graduated from Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine in Corvallis, Ore.

He also has a master’s degree in cattle production and is a Production Animal Consultation group member.

Andrea is a Northern California native who also grew up in the agricultural industry and helps manage the family business.

“We decided to venture out and ended up in the Cowboy State looking for a better way of life. We found ourselves in the Bridger Valley where my sister and brother-in-law were residing,” Andrea says.

Over the years, the couple has welcomed three sons into their lives – Rangle, Reese and Riggin.

She says, “Rangle is attending Lamar Community College in Lamar, Colo., studying horse training and management. Reese is a Lyman High School sophomore and Riggin is a fifth grader at Lyman Elementary.”

With a love for agriculture, each of the boys has enjoyed being a member of 4-H and FFA and has participated in rodeo and horse reining.

Veterinary services

“We provide quality and progressive medicine for all pets, as well as many educational opportunities in the areas of veterinary medicine and pet education,” Andrea says.

Rural Veterinary Practices is actively involved in the community, often involving local 4-H and FFA programs.

She mentions, “We also sponsor local youth athletics and academic programs, host educational courses, work with daycares and preschools on education and place animals, all while working with local shelters and humane societies.” 

The practices provide comprehensive services for all species, including companion animal dental, equine dental, orthopedic and soft tissue surgery, vaccinations and cold laser therapy.

“It has been a great experience to have a practice in Sweetwater County so we can provide quality medicine for our clients,” Ben and Andrea explain. “We have gotten to know great people in the community.” 

Between both locations, Rural Veterinary Practices also provide comprehensive cattle and equine services, plus embryo transfer and artificial insemination. 

“Livestock is our passion, we are always looking for ways to help elevate production medicine to a new level,” the couple states. “Through the services we offer, we want to ensure we are adding additional value to the progressive and quality medicine we provide.”

Advancing care

Rural Veterinary Practices provides mixed animal services and serves multiple communities, which can be challenging.

Ben and Andrea note, “Finding mixed animal veterinarians is becoming much more difficult so we are extremely lucky to have such a great group of veterinarians on our team.”

Rural Veterinary Practices prides itself on educating the next veterinarians or technicians ready to enter the world of veterinary medicine.  

“We have provided an experience for over 100 students in our 10 years of owning the business,” Andrea states.

Rural Veterinary Practices offers hands-on experience for senior veterinary students who need more preparation for their future careers as veterinarians. 

“We have a successful recruiting program. We network with multiple universities offering preceptorship, externship and internship programs,” Andrea adds. “The recruiting program started slowly but now we see anywhere from six to 10 students a year come through our program.”

Students who choose Rural Veterinary Practices receive experience in large animals including the cow/calf sector, but they also gain experience with all species, as they can quickly go from spaying a dog to working on a dystocia in a short time. 

For more information on Rural Veterinary Practices, visit ruralvetpractices.com. 

Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.