CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ)– A groundbreaking ceremony was held July 28 to announce the state-of-the-art expansion of Abington Equine Hospital in Patton Township to provide more health services for local horses.

Abington Equine Hospital was created by Dr. Brad Back and Dr. Cat Radtke, two veterinarians that specialize in horses. They first opened the hospital in August of 2016 at Clarks Summit in Pennsylvania.

In September of 2017 they experienced a westward expansion to include State College. Since then the business grew to serve all of Central Pa. from their clinic located in State College.

According to a press release from Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, the $2.4 million expansion project is 63,000 feet and will include surgical suites, treatment rooms, an area to treat pain in horses’ gait and a reproductive management unit.

Cormen believes that the expansion will be able to help improve animal health in the region and promote the up-and-coming local equine industry.

“This project holds the potential to eventually be the best equine health facility in the state to serve the growing local demand for service,” Corman said. “Offering this level of care will work hand-in-hand with the expansion of the Grange Park Equine Center and other local projects to support Pennsylvania agriculture.”

The closest equine full surgical facility is located in Somerset County, which can be very far for horses that need hospital management.

Dr. Radtke at the ceremony explained why this project meant so much to the hospital as well as the community.

“Sure this has taken a lot of people’s support and help,” said Dr. Radtke. “I’ve been working on this since 2016 and I really do feel like I finally found the right group of people, the right township, the right piece of land. We just can’t be thankful enough for how much this community has supported our dream, and we can’t wait to give that support back and continue to grow and do everything we can for the horses of Centre County and the surrounding counties.”

Long-term wise, the facility plans to add an internal medicine department and specialist.