Wannabe reality TV vet Maxwell Hall suspended over risky ‘tail blocking’ procedure on horses
A former candidate to replace Chris Brown on Bondi Vet has been banned for one year after performing a risky procedure on horses.
A wannabe reality television vet has copped a huge fine and been banned from working for one year after performing a dangerous tail numbing procedure on multiple horses.
Cosmetic “tail blocking” is banned by equestrian authorities due to infection risks, but that did not stop West Coast Vets’ Max Hall from repeatedly performing the procedure between 2015 and 2016.
It involves injecting a horse with a drug to reduce tail movement, thus giving riders an advantage in the ring.
Hall, who along with his brother Garnett nominated to replace Chris Brown on the popular television show Bondi Vet, was found guilty of “unprofessional conduct” for injecting the horses with dexamethasone sodium phosphate.
The State Administrative Tribunal late last year said Hall’s conduct fell “substantially short” of the standards expected of a competent veterinary surgeon, noting he had also failed to keep proper records and neglected to get informed consent from the owners.
He was suspended for one year and ordered to pay $260,000 in costs.
Hall remains listed on West Coast Vets’ website as an equine surgery specialist who is “constantly developing and refining innovative surgical procedures”.
In their nomination video for Bondi Vet, the brothers said together: “So there might only be one Bondi vet, but there’s two west coast vets.”
One brother then said: “Should be much better.”
The other responded: “I agree.”
NCA NewsWire is seeking comment from Hall.
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