Chris Ray, DVM, MS, DACVS, Joins Solo Select; Equine Medical & Surgical Center Construction Begins

The board-certified equine surgeon will continue serving his existing clients, operating mobile and performing surgery while construction moves forward at Solo Select in Gainesville, Texas.

Solo Select is proud to welcome Chris Ray, DVM, MS, DACVS, to the Solo Select family and announce that construction is officially underway on Solo Equine Medical & Surgical Facility, PLLC.

Continuity of care for Dr. Ray’s existing clients and patients is the first priority throughout this transition. Based in Gainesville, Dr. Ray will continue seeing his outside clients, operating mobile and performing surgery while the permanent facility is under construction. He will also see clients at a facility in Millsap one to two days each week, with scheduled appointments available at Solo Select in Gainesville.

Solo Select broke ground on the permanent medical and surgical facility in August 2026, with the opening currently targeted for early fall 2027. Dr. Ray will join Dr. Carter and Dr. Horton as the veterinary team continues expanding the depth and range of care available to its clients and to the mares, foals, stallions and performance horses residing at Solo Select.

“We are so excited to welcome Dr. Chris Ray to the Solo Select family,” said Melanie Smith, founder of Solo Select. “Chris brings decades of surgical experience, an outstanding reputation and a level of knowledge that will be an incredible addition to the veterinary team Dr. Carter and Dr. Horton have already established here.”

DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN EQUINE SURGERY

A board-certified veterinary surgeon, Dr. Ray has spent more than three decades caring for equine athletes. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M University in 1990, completed an equine internship at Littleton Equine Medical Center and went on to complete a surgical residency and master’s degree at Colorado State University.

Dr. Ray became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1998. His professional focus has included equine lameness, orthopedics, soft-tissue surgery, joint health, sports medicine and the long-term soundness of performance horses.

Throughout his career, he has practiced in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Montana, working with horses and horsemen at the highest levels of performance-horse competition and rodeo. In 2018, he was named a finalist for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Veterinarian of the Year Award, an honor recognizing extraordinary dedication to the health and welfare of rodeo livestock.

“Dr. Ray has been a legend in our equine community for a long time,” said Matt Witman, general manager of Solo Select. “His experience, his judgment and the trust he has earned from horsemen over the years are incredibly difficult to duplicate. We are thrilled to join him in this new venture and equally excited about the team being built around him.”

CONTINUING TO SERVE CLIENTS DURING CONSTRUCTION

Providing uninterrupted care for Dr. Ray’s current clients and patients is a central part of the transition plan.

Dr. Ray will continue traveling to clients and seeing horses through his mobile practice while the permanent hospital is being built. Based in Gainesville, he will also see clients at a facility in Millsap one to two days each week. Scheduled appointments will be available at Solo Select in Gainesville as well.

Most importantly, Dr. Ray will continue performing surgery throughout the construction period. Surgical cases and locations will be coordinated directly with clients according to each horse’s needs and the requirements of the procedure. “Protecting the continuity of care for the horses and clients Chris already serves is at the very top of our list,” Smith said. “We are not asking those clients to wait for a new building. Chris will continue seeing horses, traveling to clients and performing surgery while we develop the permanent center.”

The interim model will allow Solo Equine Medical and Surgical Center to begin serving new clients as well. Horse owners will have access to Dr. Ray through mobile appointments, his scheduled days in Millsap and appointments at Solo Select in Gainesville.

“We are excited to begin serving clients now while we build toward something exceptional,” Smith said. “When this project is finished, Chris and the entire veterinary team will have a facility that matches the caliber and complexity of medicine they practice. But the quality of care cannot begin on opening day. It has to remain our priority throughout the entire process.”

EXPANDING THE VETERINARY TEAM

Dr. Ray joins a veterinary team that already includes Dr. Carter and Dr. Horton. Together, the doctors bring complementary experience across performance-horse medicine, surgery, reproductive care and the complex needs of elite equine athletes and breeding horses. Victoria “Happy” Goodson will serve as practice manager, overseeing day-to-day practice operations and helping ensure that clients, veterinarians and staff have the support they need.

“Dr. Carter and Dr. Horton are talented veterinarians and an important part of what we are building,” Smith said. “Chris adds another level of surgical and sports medicine experience to that team. We are looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish together.” The long-term vision is to continue expanding the depth of the team and the services available to clients.

“This is about surrounding great veterinarians with the people, equipment and facilities they need to perform at the highest level,” Smith said. “We want the entire veterinary team to have the support to deliver exceptional medicine while still giving owners the communication and personal attention they expect.”

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY ON A PURPOSE-BUILT FACILITY

Solo Select broke ground in August 2026 on the permanent home of Solo Equine Medical and Surgical Center. The facility is currently expected to open in early fall 2027.

The center will include two surgical suites, a climate-controlled intensive care unit and a climate-controlled evaluation and jogging area designed specifically for veterinary use. It will accommodate horses brought to the practice by outside clients as well as horses residing at Solo Select. Ty Smith, who has been involved in every major construction project Solo Select has undertaken and leads its ranch-management and excavation crews, is helping guide the development of the new center from the ground up.

“We have learned something from every barn, laboratory, stallion facility and ranch project we have built,” Smith said. “With this project, every decision begins with the horse and with what the veterinary team needs to do its job. Trailer access, the movement of horses, the jogging surface, the surgery suites, recovery areas and ICU all have to work together.”

With excavation now underway, Smith said the team is focused on ensuring that the finished center is as functional as it is impressive.

“Now that we have broken ground and the dirt is moving, the vision is becoming real,” he said. “A building can look good and still not work well. Our responsibility is to understand how horses, veterinarians, technicians, clients and equipment will move through it every day. We have the opportunity to build this correctly from the ground up and create a facility that can grow with the medical team for decades.”

RAISING THE STANDARD OF CARE AT SOLO SELECT

Locating the center at Solo Select will be especially valuable to the company’s large reproduction and stallion programs.

“Building this center at Solo Select will give us another level of security and increase the level of care we can provide to every mare, foal and stallion entrusted to us,” Smith said. “Having a climate-controlled ICU and advanced surgical capabilities close at hand will give us greater continuity of care from everyday management through the moments when a horse needs the very highest level of attention.”

At the same time, the center is being developed to serve the broader equine community—not solely the horses residing at Solo Select.

“This is not only about caring for our own horses,” Smith said. “We want Dr. Ray and the entire veterinary team to have an exceptional facility where they can serve their clients and care for horses from across the country. Our goal is to create one of the most advanced equine facilities in the world.” Construction is underway, with the permanent facility currently expected to open in early fall 2027.

To get on the list for appointments beginning Monday, August 24, call or text (940) 641-2795.