I’ve been owned by horses my entire life, and they’ve shaped not only my career but my way of seeing the world. After earning my DVM from the University of Florida in 2004, I became the veterinarian in charge of an equine reproduction referral center in Florida. It was rewarding, fast-paced work, but it also showed me that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to medicine often fell short. Horses are individuals, and so are the problems they bring to the table.

 

That realization led me to study Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) and equine spinal manipulation (chiropractic/osteopathy), opening an entirely new dimension in how I evaluate, treat, and partner with horses and their people. Over time, that evolved into what I now call Functional Equine Medicine — a whole-horse, root-cause approach that blends:

    •    Western diagnostics and evidence-based care

    •    Chinese medicine and energetic evaluation

    •    Nutrition, conditioning, and biomechanics

    •    Thoughtful collaboration with trainers, farriers,           and referring veterinarians.

 

For the past 20 years, I’ve been teaching veterinarians from around the world as a faculty member at Chi University, sharing the art and science of TCVM. Along the way, I’ve also become an international speaker, teaching colleagues how to integrate Eastern and Western approaches in ways that truly elevate patient care. Watching veterinarians take these skills home to improve the lives of their patients is one of the most rewarding parts of my work.

 

Whether I’m helping a competitive dressage horse regain balance, managing a metabolic gelding, or tuning up a performance pony before a show, my goal is always the same: to find the source of the problem and create a practical, individualized plan for long-term soundness and performance.

 

When I’m not in the barn, treating patients or lecturing, you’ll usually find me schooling my horses — Harold, my cheeky Vanner gelding, and Maya, my sensitive and brilliant Lusitano mare — or enjoying quiet time with my husband Shane at our summer retreat mountain farm in the beautiful mountains of Tennessee.