Inducted: November 29, 1989
Dr. Lloyd McKibbin is a veterinarian who has established a reputation in Kent County and around the world for his innovative work with horses.
Dr. McKibbin was born in Ingersoll, and attended elementary school in Ingersoll and Springfield, and secondary school in Aylmer. He graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1952 and entered general veterinary practice at Wheatley. Later, he went into equine practice, specializing in lameness and surgery.
Dr. McKibbin's pioneering work first won the praise of horse owners in Kent County, then North America and eventually the world. He won recognition with a swimming pool for equine physiotherapy, one of the first. Dr. McKibbin was also one of the first veterinarians in North America to use a computer to maintain records on his cases and how they performed after treatment.
Dr. McKibbin also pioneered in the sometimes controversial use of acupuncture as a form of pain control in horses. He did extensive research on acupuncture on his own and eventually became a recognized acupuncture expert in both the equine and the human field. On one occasion, he found himself the only veterinarian at an acupuncture conference.
Dr. McKibbin has been invited several times over the years to China and Japan for acupuncture seminars and work there. His lectures at professional meetings in the early years on equine medicine and surgery and in later years on acupuncture were well received and respected.
One London area horse owner said Dr. McKibbin has never been afraid to try something new, "especially when it is going to help a horse." Dr. McKibbin, in an attempt to help the horseman, wrote a book called "Horse Owners' Handbook" explaining some of the more common lameness problems and how they might be cared for. This book was widely distributed and accepted within North America.
Dr. McKibbin's clinic in Wheatley has seen many thousands of lame or sick horses brought from all over North America. On any given day, it is not unusual to see horse trailers lined up from the barn to the road loaded with horses waiting for treatment.
"He is unorthodox in some ways, but horse owners from many countries have come to appreciate his dedication to his work, and his efforts to find a better way to do things."
He was chosen as Wheatley's "Man of the Year" in 1979 for his services to that community. Those were challenging times for country doctor.