Stephanie Valberg

ValbergNMDL.com

Dr. Stephanie Valberg is an international leader in equine neuromuscular disorders having served as a Professor at the University of Minnesota and an endowed chair at Michigan State University.  She currently directs the muscle biopsy service ValbergNMDL.com. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College and her PhD in equine exercise physiology from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. She is board certified in large animal internal medicine and veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation. The overarching goal of Valberg’s research and clinical work has been to define the basis for neuromuscular disorders in horses, develop accurate, minimally invasive diagnostic tests, and produce optimal methods for preventing or managing performance limiting diseases. Her research has led to the discovery of numerous muscle disorders. Dr Valberg is the recipient of several honors including delivery of the Milne Lecture at the American Association of Equine Practitioners in 2012 and she was the first woman to be inducted into the Equine Research Hall of Fame.  Dr Valberg received a lifetime Achievement Award from the ACVIM in 2024 and a 2019 Alumni Achievement Award from UC Davis. She has twice received the Pfizer Research Excellence Award. She has over 200 peer reviewed publications.

Dr. Valberg is an avid equestrian with two horses, Cajun and Razzle, and has competed in three-day eventing, dressage and show jumping.

Rachel C. Murray

Consultant, Veterinary Specialist

Rachel is a highly experienced Sport Horse Clinician based at Rossdales Diagnostic Centre. She joined our team in October 2019, having spent more than 20 years at the Animal Health Trust, where she was responsible for the Equine MRI diagnostic service, ran the orthopaedic research group, and provided a clinical service focused on imaging, poor performance, and rehabilitation in sport horses.

Rachel graduated from the University of Cambridge before specialising in equine surgery, undertaking an internship and surgical residency in the USA, and becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. After 5 years in the USA, she returned to England as an equine surgeon at the University of Cambridge Veterinary School. She subsequently completed a PhD, investigating exercise-associated joint adaptation and injury in horses.

She has led many studies investigating sport horse training, injury, and performance, including those for British Dressage, British Eventing, British Equestrian Federation, and the FEI. She has also published numerous articles on orthopaedic problems and advanced imaging in horses, contributed to a number of books and edited the standard text on Equine MRI.

Rachel also works for the British Equestrian Federation in various roles, from scientific advice to practical veterinary assessments with various GB squads. Rachel has been providing advice for the BEF World Class Programme since 2009 and has been integrally involved in the maintenance and preparation of numerous team horses for the Championships and Olympic Games. She is an FEI treating veterinarian, has worked as a veterinary surgeon with the GB Dressage and Showjumping teams, including as a team vet, and was an official treating veterinarian at the 2012 Olympics.

Rachel has experience training and competing horses to Grand Prix and international level dressage, has competed in a variety of equestrian sports, and is a BHS-accredited professional coach.

Harold Schott

Michigan State University

Dr. Schott received his DVM degree in 1984 from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.  He started his career with three years in private equine practice in Southern California. Dr. Schott subsequently pursued advanced training by completing a residency in equine internal medicine and a PhD in equine exercise physiology at Washington State University.  Since 1995, Dr. Schott has been an equine medicine clinician at Michigan State University (MSU) with a strong clinical interest in urinary tract disorders and endocrinological disorders, with a focus on pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. Dr. Schott is a member of the Equine Endocrinology group and was the group leader for preparing the expert opinion document “Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction” in 2017 and 2019. Over the past few years Dr. Schott has also developed a strong interest in providing care to working equids in Mexico. In 2017 he developed a 2 week clinical experience taking MSU students annually to work with Mexican veterinarians and veterinary students to provide veterinary care to burros, mules, and horses in rural Mexican communities.

Pat Harris

Waltham Petcare Science Institute

After qualifying from Cambridge, Pat completed her PhD at the AHT into the Equine Rhabdomyolysis Syndrome. She joined the WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute in 1995 and is responsible for their equine research conducted in collaboration with experts at institutes and universities globally. This provides the science behind the SPILLERS^TM, BUCKEYE^TM Nutrition and WINERGY^TM brands.  Pat is a European Specialist in Veterinary Clinical and Comparative Nutrition, a RCVS recognised specialist in veterinary clinical nutrition (equine) and a BEVA Past-President.  She is the author or co-author of over 500 scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters with recent emphasis on obesity, laminitis and senior horse nutrition.

Gunther van Loon

Ghent University

Gunther van Loon graduated from Ghent University, Belgium, in 1992 and has worked at Ghent University, Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, ever since. In 2001 he finished his PhD on “Atrial pacing and experimental atrial fibrillation in equines”. In 2004 he became ECEIM Diplomate and in 2011 Associate Member of ECVDI. In 2015 he received the ‘WEVA Research Award’ for outstanding research regarding ‘Advances in Equine Cardiology’. He is now Professor in Large Animal Internal Medicine at Ghent University and his major interests are Equine Internal Medicine, cardiology (arrhythmias, electrophysiology, cardiac pacing, echocardiography, TDI, 2D ST, biomarkers), and thoracic and abdominal ultrasound.

Richard Ducatelle

Professor in veterinary pathology

Richard Ducatelle, DVM, PhD, is a distinguished veterinarian and academic, specializing in veterinary pathology. He graduated from Ghent University in Belgium in 1978 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, followed by a PhD in Veterinary Pathology from the same institution in 1983.

From 1984 to 1989, Dr. Ducatelle served as a scientific advisor to the Belgian government, contributing his expertise to national veterinary policies and public health. In 1989, he joined the faculty of Ghent University as a Professor of Veterinary Pathology, a position he held until 2020. During his tenure, he also served on the university's Board of Directors from 2008 to 2020, playing a key role in guiding the institution's academic and research initiatives.

Dr. Ducatelle is a diplomate of both the European College of Veterinary Pathologists (ECVP) and the European College of Poultry Veterinary Science (ECPVS),** highlighting his deep specialization and recognition in his field. Since 1991, he has been the President of the Belgian branch of the World Veterinary Poultry Association (WVPA) and is a Past-President of the European Society of Veterinary Pathology (ESVP).

With a prolific academic career, Dr. Ducatelle has authored or coauthored over 700 scientific publications, including significant contributions to the understanding of equine health. His work has been widely recognized, with more than 400 abstracts presented at international congresses, and he has been invited to speak at over 200 national and international conferences. He is also an inventor, holding more than 10 patents.

His primary research interests focus on gastro-intestinal health and the interactions between zoonotic agents and animal host reservoirs. He has particularly concentrated on conditions affecting poultry, such as necrotic enteritis, dysbacteriosis, and Salmonella, as well as issues in swine, including gastric ulcers and Helicobacter. Over his career, he has mentored 36 PhD students, guiding them in various research projects within these fields.

Dr. Ducatelle has also contributed extensively to the European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress. He has shared his expertise as a speaker at various editions, including discussions on topics such as "Feeding the Muscles,"Feeding for Gastrointestinal Health," and conducted a workshop on "Colic, Fiber, and the Microbiome" at the 11th EEHNC.

Carolien Munsters

Utrecht University

Dr. Carolien Munsters is a specialist in equine sports physiology and earned her Ph.D. in this field in 2013 from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, focusing on the welfare and training of sport horses. Through her company, Equine Integration, she aims to enhance equestrian sports and horse welfare her mission is to promote equestrian sports and the welfare of horses. This by translating scientific knowledge and measurements into practice in order to support riders, trainers and coaches to improve the performance and welfare of their horses. For many years Carolien supports and advises various (inter)national equestrian athletes, Olympic teams, passionate amateurs, coaches and trainers in the field of exercise physiology of horses. She has contributed to team guidance of the Olympic Games in London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris. She also coaches international sport horse-rider combinations in various disciplines to European and World championships. In addition to the coaching of (elite) sport horses, she is active as a researcher at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and author of several peer-reviewed scientific articles with focus on welfare, load and load capacity, performance and injuries in sport horses. Furthermore, she lectures at (inter)national scientific conferences and is active as project coordinator of the Sport Horse Welfare Foundation and as embedded scientist in equestrian sports for the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC* NSF). 

Aagje Hardeman

DataHorse

 Aagje Hardeman (1986) graduated from Utrecht University (NL) in 2012, as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Afterwards, she went to the BackBone Academy in Germany, to become a certified equine chiropractor.

In 2014, she moved to Germany to work at Tierklinik Lüsche, one of the biggest referral hospitals in Europe, where she has been part of the orthopaedic and rehabilitation team. Simultaneously, she did her PhD, supervised by Prof. Dr. René van Weeren (Utrecht, The Netherlands) and Prof. Dr. Lars Roepstorff (Uppsala, Sweden). Her entire PhD was focused on the clinical application of quantitative gait analysis in horses. She defended her dissertation in 2021 at Utrecht University.

After moving back to the Netherlands, she started her own business DataHorse, which focuses on the clinical implication of quantitative gait analysis in several clinics and practices, as well as for individual patients. In 2023, she founded the Equine Gait Analysis Society (EGAS) together with Dr. Filipe Serra Bragança. The EGAS provides (post-academic) education around the clinical application of quantitative gait analysis in horses.

Grown up between horses and being a dressage rider (PSG level), instructor and judge herself, she is well-motivated to share her knowledge about the clinical application of quantitative gait analysis in horses. 

Filipe Manuel Serra Bragança

Utrecht University

Filipe Manuel Serra Bragança was born in 1988 in Portugal. He graduated in 2013, from the Veterinary University of Lisbon. After graduation, he performed his internship at an equine practice in the UK. In late 2014 he started his PhD at Utrecht University (the Netherlands) performing research in biomechanics and equine locomotion, focusing on objective gait analysis. The main goal of his PhD was the further development and clinical implementation of techniques of objective gait analysis and lameness assessment in the horse based on motion-capture and IMU-sensor technology. After his PhD, he leads the locomotion research group at Utrecht University until 2024. Currently, he works at Sleip AI, which developed a mobile phone gait analysis application for Horses. He is also a co-founder of the Equine Gait Analysis Society (EGAS), which provides post-graduate education on gait analysis for lameness assessment in horses.

Ingrid Vervuert

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University

Prof. Ingrid Vervuert is a veterinarian, and she did her doctoral degree in Animal Nutrition. She is a diplomate in Animal Nutrition and Dietetics. In June 2019, Prof. Vervuert has been appointed as a professor. Currently, Prof. Ingrid Vervuert is in charge of the entire spectrum of teaching and research in the Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases and Dietetics at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Leipzig. In addition, she is the head of the nutritional consultation service for veterinarians and animal holders. Her research areas are focused on obesity, minerals and the prevention of gastric ulcers in equines. In addition, current project focus on poisoning plants and the voluntary intake behaviour in horses as well as on forage strategies to compensate forage shortage by climate changes in equines.

Robin van den Boom

Utrecht University

Robin van den Boom graduated with honours From Utrecht University in 1996 and started his training in Equine Surgery. In 2002 he was registered as specialist in Equine Surgery bij the KNMvD (Royal Netherlands Veterinary Association, RNVA) and in 2004 he successfully completed his PhD on synovial fluid of the horse.

After completing his PhD Dr. van den Boom trained as a resident in Equine Internal Medicine and in 2009 passed the specialist exams of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine.

From September 2014 until February 2017 Robin was Head of the Department of Equine Health at the University of Adelaide (Australia) but since March 2017 he is, once more, a member of the Equine Medicine team at Utrecht. Recently his research has focussed on equine dermatology (in particular Insect Bite Hypersensitivity) and gastrointestinal problems (colic). 

Lieuwke Kranenburg

Utrecht University

Lieuwke Kranenburg graduated in 2003 from Utrecht University. She worked in a mixed small animal/equine practice in Weesp for three years. After which she returned for an equine internship at the Department of Equine Sciences from Utrecht University followed by an equine medicine residency. After completing the residency and passing the boards exam of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine in 2011 she worked as a equine medicine specialist for three years at Dierenkliniek Emmeloord.  

In 2014 she returned to Utrecht University at which she has worked since.  

She is responsible for the equine digestive programs in the bachelor and master.  And she also is the equine represent for the subject of clinical reasoning. 

She is involved in research projects which mainly include equine digestive issues such as sand colic, inflammatory bowel disease and gastric ulcers. 

Lieuwke is a past member of the NEVA board and past FEEVA representative for the Netherlands. 

Irene Tosi

Liège University

Dr. Irene Tosi, DVM, PhD, ECVSMR Initial Applicant

Irene obtained her PhD on muscle metabolism in horses and dogs in 2021, she is currently initial applicant of the European College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is in charge of consultations for poor performance and exercise-related diseases in horses and she participates to physiology courses at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Liège, Belgium.  Her topics of interest and research are exercise-induced muscular pathologies, chronic airway inflammatory diseases and respiratory immunity. 

Tatiana Art

Liège University

Prof. Tatiana Art, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECEIM, Dipl. ECVSMR

Diplomate of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine and of the European College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Liège, Belgium. She in charge of Physiology courses at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Responsible of the Department of Sports Medicine. Her research has been focused throughout her career on comparative exercise physiology, cardio-vascular adaptations to exercise and chronic airway inflammatory diseases in horses

Samy Julliand

Lab To Field

Samy Julliand holds an engineering degree in biology (AgroParisTech 2007), complemented by a PhD on the pathogenesis of equine glandular gastric disease (University of Burgundy 2024). After some international research experiences, Samy Julliand created Lab To Field in 2012. Located in Dijon (France), Lab To Field is a research organization that conducts projects as part of public basic research programs or in response to applied questions from manufacturers. The organization has its own farm dedicated to research in monogastrics and ruminants, including a stable enabling controlled conditions for horse projects, as well as biochemistry and microbiology laboratories. It specializes in the study of the relationships between diet, digestion, and health / performance in animals. Consequently, the analysis of gastrointestinal microbiota is at the heart of Lab To Field's expertise, as are the interactions between digestive microbiota and the host. In connection with this topic, Samy has been involved in the management of research programs on microbiota and immunity, evolution of microbiota and fibrolytic function with ageing, interactions between diet-microbiota-parasitism, effect of microbiota on athletic performance, etc. In order to share the knowledge that comes from research, Samy participated in the scientific committee of the European Workshop on Equine Nutrition from 2018 to 2024 and initiated the applied congress “Equine Nutrition & Science” in 2018.

Emanuela Valle

University of Torino

Dr. Emanuela Valle, DVM, PhD  is  Professor at the  Department of Veterinary Science of the University of Torino and EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition.  She is in charge of the nutrition consultancy service at the teaching veterinary hospital, with particular reference to the nutrition of equine patients. Teaching activities are related to equine welfare course, equine clinical nutrition and animal nutrition. She is the author of peer-reviewed scientific publications and conference papers. She is also a writer for horse magazines. She is currently involved in different projects related to equine management especially related to the contribution of management and nutrition on the welfare of the horses and equine clinical nutrition. She is a horse enthusiast and owns donkeys and horses to ride as amateur.

Tresemiek Picavet

DBP Veterinary Services

1984 Graduated in Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium. 

1984-1985: Surgery Department Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Ghent: equine orthopedic examinations, research and medical imaging horse under supervision of Professor Verschooten. 

1986-1992: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, supervised by Professor Oyaert, Professor Muylle, and Dr. Nuytten. 

Special interest in equine respiratory horses, exercise physiology and gastro-intestinal . 

1992 - 2014 specialist in equine internal medicine and responsible for equine anaesthesia in De Bosdreef.

2004 Diplomate Equine Internal Medicin ECEIM.

From 2014 till now private equine referral practice DBP Veterinary Services, Spelonckvaart 44, 9180 Moerbeke-Waas, Belgium.
 

Chair of the Flemish Scientific Horse Health Association, member of the Education and Credentials Committee of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine 

Married to Paul De Baerdemaeker, 2 children. Hobby’s: friends, reading, horse riding.

Caroline Loos

Kentucky University

After receiving her PhD in 2018, Dr. Caroline Loos remained at the University of Kentucky where she currently works as a Postdoctoral Scientist. Her research program focuses on equine nutrition, physiology, and endocrinology. More specifically, the research objectives of her PhD, and much of her postdoctoral work, were to investigate the effect of diet and disease on muscle protein metabolism. Caroline has conducted several studies looking at the impact of dietary protein quantity and quality on the activation of skeletal muscle anabolic signaling pathways. She also has a strong interest in the field of endocrinology, in particular with regards to equine insulin dysregulation and metabolic syndrome. Caroline has completed several research trials investigating the effect of dietary protein levels on hyperinsulinemia and conversely, how insulin resistance may affect whole body and muscle protein metabolism. She also looked at the therapeutic potential of specific plant-derived extracts and other dietary additives in the treatment and management of horses with insulin dysregulation. Currently, Caroline is involved in several projects looking at the effect of diet and insulin resistance on gut health and gut permeability.

Caroline Loos was born and raised in Belgium but has been living in the Lexington, KY, USA, for the last 12 years. She has been working in different sectors of the equine industry for over 15 years and works as a nutritional consultant for the equine feed industry.

Caroline is also an avid endurance rider and through her life’s passion and career hopes to make a difference in horse welfare and performance. 

Andrea Ellis

UNEQUI

Dr Andrea D. Ellis is a renowned equine scientist, whose early research (PhD) focused on food intake behaviour and nutrient digestion in horses and sheep, and set her on a path of becoming a specialist in equine nutrition and behaviour. After working as a Scientific Researcher in the The Netherlands, for four years with a focus on nutrition and developmental bone disease and on nutrient evaluation systems for horses, she joined Nottingham Trent University as Senior Lecturer, where she led the design of an MSc in Equine Health and Welfare.

Andrea now runs her own consultation company UNEQUI, Science and Creativity. She is passionate about animal nutrition and welfare, good science and biology education. Her equine research focus has been food intake behaviour and ethological requirements, as well as behavioural markers of welfare (e.g. ridden horse pain ethogram) and changing human behaviour towards better animal welfare.  Andrea lectures and carries out research in Nutrition, Behaviour, Welfare and Ethics at various institutions, such as the University of Edinburgh and Nottingham Trent University and collaborated on the first Global Equine Nutrition Course on ANIVADO.com. She supports the ESVCN as executive administrator and recently enjoyed co-ordinating on-line congress delivery. Through the UNEQUI creativity arm, Andrea also provides illustrations, event photography, clay-art and scientific drawings.

Mathijs J.P. Theelen

Utrecht University

Mathijs J.P. Theelen

DVM, PhD, Dipl.ECEIM, EBVS European Veterinary Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine

Assistant Professor Equine Internal Medicine

Mathijs is a Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine (Dipl.ECEIM) working at Utrecht University Equine Hospital. In his clinical work he focusses mainly on gastroenterology, hepatology and neonatology. He is head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for foals. After his graduation from Utrecht University in 2008, Mathijs started working as a researcher at the University of California in Davis, USA. After that he worked in a large equine referral hospital (Lingehoeve Diergeneeskunde) in the Netherlands before returning to Utrecht University to start his residency in equine internal medicine. He passed his board exams in 2014. In 2022 Mathijs defended his PhD thesis entitled ‘Fighting antimicrobial resistance in foal sepsis: does the gut conspire against us?’. His PhD was a collaboration between the Department of Clinical Sciences and the Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University and focused on antimicrobial resistance and the role of the microbiome as a potential reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes (resistome). Mathijs is actively involved in many research projects and has (co-)authored several scientific publications on topics related to equine neonatology, (molecular) microbiology, gastroenterology and hepatology. He aims to perform high quality research that is relevant for clinical practice. Mathijs regularly speaks at national and international conferences. He is currently also Member of the Equine Health Advisory Committee of the Morris Animal Foundation, Chair of the Advanced Training Advisory Committee of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM), Member of the sounding board for equine veterinarians of the Royal Dutch Veterinary Association (KNMvD) and Member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

Louis C. Penning

Utrecht University

Louis C. Penning (The Hague, international city of peace and justice, 1963), PhD, is an associate professor in veterinary regenerative medicine at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University (UU) the Netherlands. He is an expert member of the Dutch Society for Cell Biology, a member of the Dutch Society for Hepatology and a member and financial controller of the European Society for Comparative Hepatology. For his work as a PhD and post-doc in molecular oncology, molecular endocrinology and molecular cardiology, click here. 

His broad experience and creative mind benefit the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine where he is responsible for molecular and cell biology research in internal medicine and (neuro)surgery with a focus on stem cell biology in horses and companion animals. He is an expert on organoid technology, which he exploits for nutritional and pharmacological studies and disease modelling. Involved in a multi-centred Centaur-project aiming at the development of equine liver organoids. Hobbies include outdoors (sailing) and classical martial arts. Critical, creative, and collaborative.

Wilbert Pellikaan

Animal Nutrition Group of Wageningen University & Research

Wilbert Pellikaan is assistant professor at the Animal Nutrition Group of Wageningen University & Research. In 2007 he obtained his current position within the Animal Nutrition Group with half of his time dedicated to lecturing subjects in general animal nutrition and animal nutrition physiology, and supervising undergraduate and graduate students. His main area of research is ruminant nutrition with a special interest in using novel tanniniferous fodder legumes in dairy cow nutrition to reduce enteric methane emissions. Since 2011 he conducts equine nutritional related studies within the Centre for Animal Nutrition, in collaboration with the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Utrecht University. 

In 2007 he participated as a workpackage leader in an EU funded research training network ‘HealthyHay’, focussing on the effect of sainfoin tannins on methane production. This project was successfully continued in a subsequent EU funded initial training network ‘LegumePlus’ (www.legumeplus.eu) in which he also participated as a workpackage leader of the animal nutrition section. Currently, he is involved in an FACCE ERA-GAS network ‘Methlab’, where lactic acid bacteria are being used as silage inoculants or direct fed microbials to reduce enteric methane emissions from dairy cows, and is a partner within the EU-funded project ‘Equianfun’. The latter program studies the functioning of anaerobic fungi in the equine hindgut, which are of key-importance to dietary fibre degradation.

Current research interests and projects include the use of alkanes combined with stable isotope technique to assess botanical composition in diets of free ranging ruminants and equids, the use of tanniniferous feeds in dairy cow and equid nutrition, and further developments of in vitro techniques to study fermentation processes and microbial responses in the gastro intestinal tract of ruminants and equids.