Staff Profile | Joanna Smyth

She has treated the Queen’s foals and was a finalist in the Young Farmers National dance competition – meet Joanna Smyth, Waikato Stud’s new Assistant Vet.

Q What is your role at Waikato Stud?
A I am the Assistant Vet.

Q Tell us a bit about your background with horses and how you got to where you are now?
A I grew up on a farm in England and have always had horses. After vet school, I worked in a farm and equine practice for 3 years before spending two years doing an internship in an equine hospital in Newmarket.

Q Where are you from and what bought you to New Zealand?
A I have lived in the UK all my life before coming here – NZ is somewhere I’ve always wanted to work and I like foals and stud work so coming for a season sounded like a good plan.

Q What would you say is the greatest achievement in your career to date?
A Probably when the Queen came to visit one her sick foals at the hospital – and it survived.

Q What is something that not many people know about you?
A I went to the Young Farmers National Dance Finals where we danced a routine to ‘Uptown Funk’.

Q What would you consider to be your greatest achievement?
A Making my sister’s multiple tiered-wedding cake from scratch.

Q What aspect of your personality adds the most value to the world?
A I’m quite optimistic and laid back so I’m pretty calm in a crisis.