John Madigan – The Innovator in Neonatal Foal Medicine

DVM, MS, DACVIM, DACA, Distinguished Professor Emeritus – UC Davis

Few individuals have shaped modern equine medicine and large animal rescue like John Madigan. Across decades of clinical work, research, and hands-on field experience, he has combined scientific rigour with down-to-earth practicality to improve the lives of animals, and the veterinarians who care for them.

John Madigan is board-certified in both large animal internal medicine and animal welfare. He has authored over 250 peer-reviewed publications and conference papers, edited two leading textbooks on foal care, and received top honours from institutions including the AVMA and UC Davis.

But perhaps his greatest contribution is how he continues to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and field-ready solutions, a philosophy reflected in the equine veterinary video training library that supports veterinarians with practical, step-by-step learning.

A Lifetime with Horses For John Madigan

John Madigan’s relationship with horses began not in a clinic, but as a 12-year-old riding through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. His first horse, Chubby, lived at the Polo Fields. He rode his bike daily from 23rd Avenue to the stables, where early mentors, police officers and sulky horse trainers, began shaping his horse sense.

By 15, he was working summers at a ranch in Northern California, guiding overnight rides, teaching children to ride, and wrangling herds through rivers and over mountain trails. These years gave him a grounded, intuitive understanding of horse behaviour, safety, and husbandry that would become a constant thread in his career.

He went on to study animal science and veterinary medicine at UC Davis, where he later founded the university’s polo club, now a national championship program. While building a research career, he stayed closely connected to the animals he worked with, raising horses at home with his family and continuing to ride and teach.

The Madigan Squeeze and Foal Consciousness Research

In equine neonatology, John Madigan is widely known for his work on neonatal maladjustment syndrome (NMS), the condition behind what many refer to as “dummy foals.”

His team at UC Davis was the first to identify that many affected foals suffer from the persistence of neurosteroids that should have switched off at birth. These foals appear healthy but are disconnected, failing to bond, nurse, or behave as normal newborns.

To address this, Madigan developed the now-famous Madigan Squeeze Technique, a non-invasive physical method that mimics the compression of birth.

The procedure appears to trigger the hormonal and neurological shift from the in-utero sleep-like state into full postnatal consciousness. It’s been adopted around the world, offering veterinarians and breeders a practical tool with remarkable success stories.

This work has extended into comparative research between foals and human infants, where Madigan and his team are exploring how consciousness transitions at birth in different species, and what happens when that transition fails.

Large Animal Rescue and Equipment Innovation

John Madigan has also led the charge in large animal rescue and emergency preparedness. Seeing the limitations of traditional rescue methods, he developed the UC Davis Anderson Sling, now a global standard in veterinary hospitals and airlifts.

He also pioneered the Large Animal Lift and Loops Rescue Sling, both designed for field use during emergencies such as wildfires, floods, or barn collapses.

To further support rescue efforts, Madigan founded the Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT) at UC Davis. Under his leadership, it became one of the first veterinary groups recognised nationally by the Office of the Surgeon General as a Medical Reserve Corps.

He’s trained veterinarians, first responders, and emergency managers across the U.S. in safe, humane rescue techniques for horses and livestock.

John Madigan: A Career Rooted in Practical Impact

At the core of John Madigan’s work is a simple idea: find what works, and share it. His inventions have been forged from necessity, whether it’s a better way to lift a horse, help a foal transition to life outside the womb, or evacuate animals in disaster zones.

And his drive to keep animals safe is matched by a passion for educating the next generation of veterinarians and first responders.

Even in retirement, Madigan remains active in research, writing, and rescue. He continues to care for horses at home with his family and is working on a new book summarising his research on foal and infant consciousness.

John Madigan’s legacy is not only in the techniques and tools that bear his name, it’s in the thousands of veterinarians, students, and responders whose work is better, safer, and more informed because of him.

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