REDVERS - Clarke Hill, together with his wife and business partner Christine Ewert Hill, own and operate three veterinary hospitals in southeast Saskatchewan.
Head for the Hills Veterinary Health Services is a full-service animal hospital with locations in Carlyle, Kipling and Redvers. Christine is originally from Carnduff, Clarke from Moose Jaw. They met while studying veterinary medicine at the Western College in Saskatoon. Clarke graduated in 1996, Christine in 1998.
In January 2001, they started practising in Redvers, transitioning over from Dr. Von Staden. They still operate under the Redvers and District Veterinary Board. In 2003, the opportunity arose to purchase the entire practice, property and buildings from the Carlyle Veterinary Board. This was previous operated by Dr. Reg Newell and the Carlyle vet board dissolved.
In 2013, the Hills again expanded to Kipling, replacing Dr’s. Kessler and Smyth. Like Redvers, the Kipling practice is still being operated under their own local board.
The services of Head for the Hills are designed for routine preventive care for young, healthy companion animals; early detection and treatment of disease as your pet ages; and complete medical and surgical care as is necessary during their lifetimes. Their clinics have radiograph capabilities and provide a wide range of on-site laboratory testing.
Including Clarke and Christine, Head for The Hills has four full-time veterinarians and nine registered animal health technicians, who participate in continuing education courses to better serve their patients and clients.
Christine is extremely proud of their practice and each of the three facilities have slightly different clientele.
“Redvers and Kipling are more rural focused with a greater emphasis on cattle. Clarke specializes in freezing bull semen for livestock producers. Spring calving and fall preg checking seasons are busy at both locations,” she said.
“Our Carlyle practice has more of an urban feel to it. We service a lot of small animals and when the summer camping season is upon us, we meet a lot of new and interesting people from all over the world. Nowadays, pets play a much bigger role in everyone’s lives. Owners place a higher value on their animals and are truly a huge part of their own family.”
Christine provided an amusing recollection.
“One summer day, an eight-year-old girl came down to our practice in Carlyle with her mouse named Stewart. It required medical attention, and as I was about to give it a needle, it lunged forward and bit me. The little girl took the mouse, showed him the syringe, and a calm but trusting Stewart took her needle with barely a whimper.”
Both Clarke and Christine come from farming backgrounds. Their farm is located between Wauchope and Redvers, just south of Highway 13. They own horses and a herd of 40 registered purebred shorthorn cattle. They have three children, Sydney, 23, Zack, 19, and Spencer, 14. In 2020, Sydney earned her economics degree with Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., and was a Division 1 university hockey player. Zack is taking agriculture/pre-vet in university and is also an accomplished golfer. Spencer attends Redvers High School and loves football, playing with the Moosomin Generals. In their spare time the Hills enjoy travelling and motorcycling.
Concluded Christine, “Clarke and I are very happy to call southeastern Saskatchewan our home. We love animals and couldn’t ask for a better way to spend our lives. It is such a great feeling to improve the health of an animal and add relief and happiness to the whole family.”
