BLAIRCOURT EQUINE VETERINARY CLINIC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Abby Martin RVN Veterinary Nurse
- RVN Veterinary Nurse
- Veterinary Nurse
I started riding when I was about 10 years old and was hooked straight away. As soon as I left school I started working as a groom on livery yards and continued freelancing during the last 17 years, managing various equine yards, and assisting people with difficult and young horses as well as anything else they needed along the way. In 2014 I gained experience as a nursing assistant at an equine practice in Essex and in 2016 I completed a level 2 first diploma in Equine Nursing Technician at the Open College of Equine Studies. I joined Blaircourt at their branch clinic at Brook Farm Training Centre in Stapleford Abbotts but now work at both sites and have now finished my nurse training to become a registered veterinary nurse. I thoroughly enjoy being part of a veterinary medical team again. I have a rescue pony called Mavis, who is quite a celebrity in the West Essex area. In my spare time I enjoy going to music concerts.
Job Titles:
- Alice Bolton RVN Veterinary Nurse
- RVN Veterinary Nurse
- Veterinary Nurse
I have worked at Blaircourt since 2016 and prior to that I worked on a few different yards including being a travelling show groom for an international driving yard. I qualified as a registered veterinary nurse after taking my final exams virtually during Covid while on maternity leave. I am kept busy with a house full of dogs, two of my own horses, which I play competitive polocrosse on during the summer months and my son, Jacob.
I grew up in the Northeast of England and started riding when I was 6. I was lucky enough to have a loan pony throughout my teens who taught me how to hold on tight! My passion for horses never wavered and, following graduation from vet school, I knew I wanted to work with horses. I started off in Morocco where I volunteered for an equine charity (SPANA) for four months. SPANA provided a fabulous service treating working horses, donkeys and mules. I then worked in large animal practice in Northumberland for one year dealing with horses, cows and sheep. Keen to pursue equine practice, I travelled to the US, where I completed a six-month fellowship at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Kentucky, specializing in neonatal foal medicine and intensive care. On my return to the UK, I worked in Gloucestershire, where I undertook an eighteen-month internship at Three Counties Equine Hospital. Here I was involved in all aspects of equine hospital work, dealing with all kinds of competition and pleasure horses.
I now have the pleasure of working at Blaircourt. I have a particular interest in behaviour and working with needle-shy and nervous horses. I am currently studying for a masters in equine science, with a focus on equine behaviour and learning. Please don't hesitate to ask me about it when I'm out and about.
Job Titles:
- Claire Smith RVN Veterinary Nurse
- RVN Veterinary Nurse
- Veterinary Nurse
I originally started at Blaircourt in 2004 then left to gain my qualification as a veterinary nurse at Cambridge Vet School but couldn't stay away so returned soon after. I have a keen interest in emergency and critical care nursing and love to teach others. I therefore trained to become a clinical coach and have successfully helped several nurses to gain their RVN status and continue in this regard with our current student nurses. I also spend time with horses and ride outside of work and I enjoy spending time with my husband, two children, Oscar and Daisy, and my dog. You can often see me out running and I have taken part in two full marathons. I generally like spending time outdoors.
Having grown up in Essex, my life with horses started when I was young, getting my first riding lessons at age four and my first horse at age 14. I graduated from Queen Mary University of London with a BSc in Zoology in 2017, and I then relocated to Surrey for five years to study Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2022. Having previously been a client of the practice with my own horses, I have loved coming back to be part of a familiar team with my first job and I am really enjoying it! In practice, my interests lie in dentistry, internal medicine, and sports horse medicine. In my spare time I like to go to the gym and spend lots of time with my own horses (two opinionated mares!), regularly competing in both British Showjumping and FEI competitions.
Job Titles:
- Technician
- Emily Garrett Yard Technician
I have always loved animals and I am dog obsessed, owning two miniature dachshunds and a weimaraner. When I was younger, I always wanted to ride and after years of asking my parents they finally agreed. I started riding at a local yard where I had regular lessons and seemed to pick it up really quickly. The riding wasn't enough for me as I was really interested in the care of horses too, so I started helping at the stables after school and I loved it. I would get rewarded with rides and I learnt so much. Soon after I started riding my younger sister did too, so we would go and ride together. As I improved my riding, my parents started to see my dedication to horses and bought me and my sister our first horse. I remember teaching my younger sister all the things I had learnt from picking out horses' hooves to tacking up. I really enjoyed jumping and started competing most weekends. I still regularly compete at British show jumping with my current horses, Circus and Ben. I have owned Circus for 6 years and only recently got Ben as a 4-year-old who I am producing. I am so grateful to have my own yard at home and I love looking after my horses to the highest standard and keeping my yard very tidy. Hence why I wanted to join the Blaircourt team, to be a part of helping horses and keeping the yard looking amazing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Team
- Receptionist
- Francesca Fry Receptionist
Before joining Blaircourt in 2022, I worked at House & Jackson veterinary hospital on the small animal side. Horses have always been a passion of mine since learning to ride at 4 years old. My spare time is spent taking care of my horses, dogs, sheep, ducks and cat, but I also enjoy baking, exploring the countryside and trying new restaurants. But mostly, life revolves around all things furry, feathered and fleeced!
Growing up and receiving my veterinary degree in Estonia, I kept myself busy for many years by balancing time between the veterinary field and my passion of training young horses - first during the studies and later while working part time as an ambulatory vet in a small equine practice. After deciding to dedicate full time to veterinary work and experience, I travelled to Denmark to complete a year-long internship in a large equine clinic and referral hospital, after which I was lucky to join the Blaircourt team at the end of 2020. Having worked at breeding farms earlier, I had the chance to do a fair amount of reproduction work but am I keen to see a large variety of cases from different fields of veterinary medicine among my equine patients here in the UK.
During my free time, I very much enjoy the company of horses also outside the clinic and I am keen on starting my own young warmblood, who is just about ready to begin his education of becoming a riding horse.
Job Titles:
- Administrator
- Member of the Administrative Team
- Jackie Smith Administrator
I originally started at Blaircourt around 2011 as Practice Manager. I left in 2017 to pursue other things but couldn't stay away and I'm now back in a part-time administrative role. I have ridden horses since I was a small child, but my spare time now is totally taken up looking after and training my working Labradors.
I spent my childhood on a dairy farm in South Africa and developed a love for all things equine from a gentle old cob called "Roman". He was long suffering and put up with me trying to turn him into a racehorse and polo pony! After finishing boarding school I then joined the army to complete a two year conscription. After completing an officer's course, I then went on to help train game rangers in the prevention of poaching. After that university beckoned, which entailed 3 years of a BSc in Agriculture and then on to Veterinary school for another 5 ½ years of studying (some would say a professional student!). After practicing for a short while in South Africa, I made the move to the U.K. and settled in Bromsgrove (Worcs) for two years in a large mixed practice. During 2000 I moved to Essex and joined Blaircourt and have never left!
My focus is on poor performance, internal medicine and complicated dentistry, amongst others. We take an active approach to Continuing Professional Development at Blaircourt and to this end, Patrick and I attended a "Minimally invasive Trans-buccal Extraction Technique" course (basically means removing a horse's tooth via a surgical incision in the cheek) in Denmark. This is a novel and delicate way of removing a tooth with far less trauma and complications than can be experienced with conventional extraction techniques.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Team
- Receptionist
- Megan Beaumont Receptionist
Horses have always been a huge passion of mine, ever since the day I could walk, my older sister would take me with her to the horse yard! My love for horses carried on into my teens and I was lucky enough to get a Saturday job working at Church House Farm when I was 13. I learnt so much from all at the yard and upon leaving school I worked full time starting my ‘horse care and management' apprenticeship, which I will be completing in the New Year of 2021. Out of all the disciplines, I really enjoy dressage and regularly used to ride a dressage horse named Gucci who taught me a lot. When I am not at work, I love spending time with my dogs Billy the Border Collie and Acer the Siberian Husky, they love walking for miles and doing training. I also have a big passion for cars, fitness, modelling, hair and beauty.
I grew up in South Africa, spending most of my childhood camping, hiking and playing sport. After completing a BSc in Agriculture at the University of Natal, I moved on to veterinary school, graduating in 1998. My veterinary career has taken me all over the world. After a short stint in South Africa in mixed practice, I moved to the UK for a year. I then moved to the Middle East and ran a practice in Saudi Arabia treating horses and small animals. Here I developed an interest in equine stud work and took up a job on New Zealand's South Island where I gained extensive experience and had the opportunity to kayak, run, and cycle across some beautiful wilderness and more importantly it was here that I met my wife Lucy, who hailed from Devon.
The next few years saw me following the stud season between the northern hemisphere (UK and Ireland) and the southern hemisphere (Australia and New Zealand). After settling in equine practice in Epping for a period, I moved on to work in the veterinary industry and more recently for a Bill Gates funded organisation supporting veterinary vaccines in Africa. I am delighted to have joined Blaircourt along with Mark, Ralph and the wonderful team.
Outside of work I spend as much time as I can with Lucy and our two boys Thomas and Benjamin, which usually involves rugby, football, cricket and being outdoors. When I get a spare moment, you will find me out cycling or running.
I grew up outside Zurich, Switzerland and graduated as a doctor in veterinary medicine from the University of Zurich in 1999. I gained my first experience in equine medicine and surgery during National Military Service in the Veterinary Troops. I then moved on to work at an equine clinic in Switzerland for 3 years before furthering my knowledge in a Racehorse and Standardbred Clinic in France. In 2005, I came over to England and, after working as a senior associate for a large equine clinic in Essex, I became the head veterinary surgeon at a busy first opinion equine practice on the Hertfordshire border. In 2014, I made the move to Blaircourt to join the team as a director.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Team
- Receptionist
- Sarah Jones Receptionist
Prior to starting at Blaircourt in 2016, I worked for a Housing Association, working with elderly and vulnerable residents throughout the community. Since I was a child, horses have always been a passion of mine. I could always be found helping on the yard throughout the summer holidays and every weekend whilst I was at school! Although I have never had a horse to call my own (apart from the short time that I loaned the lovely Jaq), I have always helped my friends out with their horses and offered to ride/look after them whilst they are on holiday! When I am not working, I like to spend my time with my family and my cheeky little pooch, Florence.
Having always lived in Essex, my career with animals started from a young age, riding at 2yrs old, living on a mixed livestock farm and training/rehabilitating horses in my gap year. In 2014, I graduated from Writtle College with an Animal Science BSc before going on to study Veterinary Medicine at the RVC, where I graduated in 2018. Since then, I have worked within the North and West Essex areas as a small animal/equine mixed vet, moving to Blaircourt Equine in June 2019 to continue my career as an equine vet.
My sister and I have three ponies and enjoy leisure riding. In the rest of my spare or holiday time, I enjoy taking my two dogs for a forest run, competing in long distance open-water events, travelling to new places, surfing, and practising yoga!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Team
- Receptionist
- Sophie Bennett Receptionist
Before joining the Blaircourt team, I worked at Catley Cross Equine vets for a few years after returning from working out in America at a YMCA camp running the horseback programme. Since before I can remember, horses have always been a part of my life alongside growing up on a farm. I'm very much a typical outdoor and hands on person who enjoys working, socialising with friends, and getting involved with Essex Young Farmers. I enjoy spending time with my horse Flicka who I have bred after carrying on the 4 th generation of a lineage of Point-To-Pointers my grandmother started back in 1960. I have backed her and brought her on myself in the hope to start eventing soon. Outside of horses, I'm also into shooting and have my own gundog Ivy who I train in my spare time after work and take out on local shoots. When I'm not busy, I like to spend quality time with my family, whether it be helping on the farm or sitting down for one of our Sunday roast dinners!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Team
- Practice Manager
- Suzanne Viscariello Practice Manager
Prior to joining Blaircourt, I've enjoyed various jobs as a Finance Manager in both the construction and leisure industries and co-owned a business with my husband. I have a daughter at university, two dogs and a horse so my leisure time is mainly taken up by one or all of them. I've ridden horses since I was 6 years old but only got the opportunity to buy my own horse at the ripe old age of 42. Better late than never!