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Agriculture, Livestock/Poultry September 01, 2026
Your Next Vet
Grit, guts and passion are hallmarks of the next generation.
Story and Photos by Bill Spiegel
From the cab of his pickup truck near Slapout, Oklahoma, Randall Spare speaks frankly about the future of large animal veterinary medicine.
"Every day I wake up and think about how we can take care of the people who depend on us," says Spare, the owner of Ashland Veterinary Center, a mixed-animal veterinary clinic in Ashland, Kansas.
It's the kind of place that exists to serve others, no matter the time of day, weather conditions, or distance from Ashland. Mark Spare, Randall's son and one of the clinic's practitioners, explains answering a call at 2 a.m. during calving season. His destination was an hour away; the temperature, about 5 degrees.
"There's nowhere to stop and get coffee, so I crashed a couple Red Bulls on the way over," he explains. "This is a tough one. I'm sweating, and my knees are freezing to the ground. The client told me, 'Mark, I've been out here every night for the past three weeks and things are going pretty good, but this is deflating.' I looked in his eyes, and I didn't want to lose," he continues. "That's who we work for."
The new model. Mark Spare says the future is bright for rural veterinary practitioners, although the old model of single person offices may be outdated. Practices with multiple veterinarians offer the work-life balance—and income—that veterinarians deserve. Practices with multiple animal doctors are beneficial to all: clients, staff and, importantly, young veterinarians.
"We need them to fit our model of today's success, to bring their skills and let us deploy them," Spare says.
That's right in Railey Rumohr's wheelhouse.
The first-generation college graduate from Rio Vista, Texas, took a longer path than most vet students. She attended two small colleges in Oklahoma, graduated and enrolled in Texas Tech University's brand new college of veterinary medicine in August 2022. After graduation in May 2026, she joined Ashland Veterinary Center.
Her work ethic is a perfect match for the clinic.
"Everybody's definition of success is different," Rumohr explains. "Mine is, is our community taken care of ? Are the services I'm providing adding value, not only for my clinic, but for the people I am servicing every day? Because what matters is that I am taking care of the people who are putting their trust in me."
Above. Students at Kansas State University's Veterinary Medical Center track data during a rotation at the Manhattan Commission Company. Caleb Hildebrand, a 2026 graduate of KSU, will work in a large and small animal practice in South Hutchinson, Kansas. Dr. Randall Spare, right, bought Ashland Veterinary Center in 1989. Son Dr. Mark Spare is one of six veterinarians. Kansas State University graduates some 110 veterinarians each year. Railey Rumohr is the newest doctor to join the practice. Emily Headrick is a 2026 KSU DVM grad; she will go to a mixed-animal clinic in Marion County, Kansas.
Those principles are reflective of a cohort of graduates of Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. It's a spring day when they are gathered at the Manhattan Commission Company, preg-checking cattle for an upcoming cow sale.
Caleb Hildebrand, a native of Stafford, Kansas, is headed to a clinic in South Hutchinson. Emily Headrick, from Kismet, will go to Hillsboro. And Chance Kopsa returned to his hometown of Beloit to join Solomon Valley Veterinary Hospital.
All of these practices feature several animal doctors who can share the workload. That's the key, Mark Spare says.
Taking care. Ashland Veterinary Center services 20 counties in Kansas, five in Oklahoma, and two in Texas. In February 2026, wildfires swept through parts of north central Oklahoma and south central Kansas— right in the heart of their territory. Railey Rumohr, not yet an employee of the firm, was on the phone daily with Dr. Randall Spare, wanting to know how she could help. That dedication is how rural communities will be served by veterinarians, Randall says.
"When she starts in June, I'm going to take her with me, and she's going to continue to see how I interact with people. We have an equity of trust with our clients, and we need to hand that trust off to these young veterinarians, and say, you know, you can do this," Spare says.
"It all goes back to taking care of customers." ‡
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