Claude Bourgelat, a French veterinary surgeon, was the founder of veterinary colleges in 1761. He was born on March 27, 1712 in Lyon, France, and died on January 3, 1779. Bourgelat was an authority on horse management. He collaborated with the encyclopedia to write about horses, writing more than half the contents on riding, medicine, and surgery. Since horses were one of the most important animals back then, they focused most of their attention on them. Bourgelat saw that something was killing their herds, and knew that he needed to do something. He decided to devote his time to finding a cure, which led to their discovery of the first veterinary college. Bourgelat believed all could be solved with science and years of research.