A husband-and-wife veterinary team from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine will head to Atlanta in July to provide emergency medical care for the Olympic athletes -- the four-legged kind, that is. Dr. Jack Snyder, chief of equine surgery, and Dr. Sharon Spier, associate professor of internal medicine, will advise the international corps of veterinarians who will treat approximately 250 horses competing in the riding, jumping and dressage events of the Summer Games. The couple must set up an emergency veterinary clinic and be prepared to perform surgery on site in the event that a horse is injured during competition. Snyder will evaluate horses for lameness and perform emergency surgeries. Spier will lend her expertise in the area of non-surgical veterinary care, including internal diseases and infections. The veterinarians expect to see a wide range of ailments ranging from foot bruises to severe digestive upsets. They must be prepared not only to deal with a variety of medical conditions, but also to work through professional interpreters to communicate with owners and trainers from around the world.