Why a sought-after Perth horse vet’s second suspension has been delayed

A Perth horse vet has been banned from practising for a second time after the State Administrative Tribunal found he had continued working during a previous suspension in 2021.

Dr Maxwell Hall, the co-founder of West Coast Veterinary Hospital, was originally investigated by the Veterinary Surgeons’ Board of Western Australia in 2019.

He was subsequently found guilty of professional misconduct after it was revealed he had been performing a controversial practice called “tail blocking” on three horses. The procedure had been banned by Equestrian Australia because of claims it was unethical and potentially harmful.

The blocking of the horse’s tail causes it to move less, giving show horse riders an advantage cosmetically in competitions.

As a result, Hall was banned from practising for 12 months and fined $260,000 in costs.

At the time, the SAT found he had not only performed the procedure on three separate horses, but had also failed to make a clinical record in relation to one of the horses.

The SAT also found Hall encouraged one of the horse’s owners to be untruthful to the RSPCA, and that he responded to questions about his treatment of the horses “in a manner that was untruthful or misleading”.

This week, the outcome of more disciplinary action against the vet was revealed.

Public documents published on Thursday show that, despite his suspension, Hall continued working as a vet on at least eight occasions during his ban by assisting with surgeries and giving veterinary advice.

The Veterinary Practice Board of WA said that constituted professional misconduct and fined and suspended Hall for a further 10 months, but took the unusual step of delaying the start of that suspension to accommodate the equine breeding season in WA.

Hall’s highly sought-after skills as only one of 10 equine surgery specialists in WA were also a factor in delaying the start of his suspension, which will commence in January 2026.

Hall received first-class honours when completing his veterinary degree at the University of Queensland in 2007. He has published journal articles and developed innovative surgical procedures.

He runs West Coast Veterinary Hospital with his brother and nominated to replace Chris Brown on the popular television show Bondi Vet after a nationwide search was launched in 2017.

In addition to the latest ban, Hall was fined a further $100,000 in costs.

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