Meet Our Veterinary Team

Dr. Daniels was born in December of 1967 in Medicine Lodge, Kansas. He was raised in Beloit, a small farming community in north central Kansas, by a family with a strong background in Thoroughbred racing. His father is the manager of an agricultural finance service and his mother is a high school teacher of 30+ years. In 1987, Dr. Daniels began his undergraduate education at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. Before completing his undergraduate degree in animal science, he was granted early admission into the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn; he eagerly accepted and enrolled in 1990. During his four-year tenure as a veterinary student, Doug received numerous scholarships and awards for his academic and diagnostic excellence in equine medicine. He became a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1993 when he graduated Cum Laude from his alma mater. Manor Equine Hospital in Monkton, Maryland selected Dr. Daniels in 1993 for an internship in equine surgery and medicine. He resided there for a year before moving to Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, where he was hired by Virginia Equine Clinic as an associate veterinarian specializing in equine sports medicine and lameness. He eventually purchased the practice in 1997.

Among his numerous credentials, Dr. Daniels is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, the North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians, the American Association of Equine Practitioners, and the Virginia Association of Equine Practitioners. He is also an official veterinarian for the National Steeplechase Association. In addition to his prior work as an advisor on the development of medication regulations for the Virginia Horse Racing Commission, he is currently an officer for the Virginia HBPA and has served since 2021 as President and Chairman of the Board for the National HBPA. Most recently, he has joined the Horsemen’s Advisory Group, providing feedback to the congressionally established Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s executive team and standing committees (HISA) on critical issues related to the implementation and evolution of its Racetrack Safety and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) regulations.

Dr. Lindsay Neist is a native of the area and grew up showing Quarter Horses with Virginia Equine as her childhood veterinarian. She attended college at Virginia Tech and achieved early acceptance to their veterinary school.

After graduation in 2010, she was selected for a prestigious internship in equine medicine, imaging, lameness, and surgery at Blue Ridge Equine Clinic in Earlysville, Virginia. Following her internship, she worked full-time at Colonial Downs racetrack and she continues to have a large interest in racehorse medicine.

Dr. Neist enjoys all aspects of equine medicine but her main veterinary interests are lameness, ultrasonography, and maintaining the equine athlete. To best serve her patients she felt it was necessary to expand from traditional medicine and offer both acupuncture and chiropractic care. She believes they are both very important in complimenting western medicine.

In her spare time, she enjoys going any and everywhere with her husband Doug, their daughter Sawyer Ann, and heading to any beach when she can get away!

Dr. Laura Patteson Wornom was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. At a very young age Dr. Patteson began riding horses and competed on the ‘AA’ hunter/ jumper circuit growing up; this is when her love of equine sports medicine began.

She attended the University of Tennessee for undergraduate and veterinary school. Dr. Patteson obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and then received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Tennessee in 2015. Moving to Virginia following veterinary school, Dr. Patteson completed an internship at Virginia Equine Imaging in Middleburg, Virginia, which specializes in equine sports medicine and maintaining equine athletes. She moved to Richmond and has been with Virginia Equine since June 2016.

Her interests within the veterinary field include equine sports medicine, maintaining the equine athlete, and emergency medicine.

In her free time, Dr. Patteson loves any form of exercise, days spent on the lake, and spending time with her family and friends (of the two-legged and four-legged variety). She loves to also spend time at home relaxing with her husband, and her two young sons, Blair and Collier. Dr. Patteson has loved the years spent with Virginia Equine and getting to know the incredible clients and patients!

Dr. Shawn Devaney was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He attended UNC-Charlotte and earned his Bachelors of Science majoring in biology with a minor in kinesiology. He received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Virginia- Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Dr. Devaney’s interests include equine dentistry, equine podiatry, and client education.

Dr. Devaney enjoys fishing, skiing, and motocross riding. He keeps a busy home life with his lovely wife Amanda and three young children Avynn, Finley, and Declan. They stay active with football games, dance classes, and taekwondo practices.

Dr. Bolin grew up in Grafton, Ohio, and spent her early years riding hunter Thoroughbreds and Morgans. She was introduced to AQHA and cutting horses as a teen and became involved in the National, Ohio, and Kentucky Cutting Horse Associations, which fueled her passion for the equine athlete.

Dr. Bolin received her bachelor’s in Animal Science from The Ohio State University (go bucks!!) where she worked on equine nutrition research. She attended the University of Minnesota for her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, followed by a rigorous internship at Carolina Equine Hospital in North Carolina. Her professional interests include sports medicine, surgery, client education, and emergency triage.

When she’s not at work, you can usually find her riding her little cow horse, Ru. She also enjoys fishing, hiking, and watching college football. Dr. B shares her heart with a cattle dog mix, Pearl, and two cats: Kettle and Toad.

Brenda Blevins is an important part of our business. She handles all of the scheduling, ordering supplies, sterilizing equipment, and paperwork. A longtime resident of Goochland, Brenda has been with Virginia Equine since its very beginning. She can answer almost any question a client asks, and if not, she can find the person who will. Brenda has a soft spot for dogs and cats and often has a rescue or two or three under her wing.

Karen was born in Richmond and has spent her life involved with horses. She has been competing since she was a child in the hunter, jumper, and eventing disciplines. Karen spent 6 years working on a race farm where she cared for, rehabilitated, and exercised racehorses.

During college, she spent 2 ½ years as a working student for an international show and sales barn. Karen served as an officer on the Board of Directors of Radtech Equine Corporation, a not-for-profit corporation set up to manage and maintain the intercollegiate riding teams and stables for Virginia Tech and Radford University. In 1994, Karen graduated from Radford University with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Physical Science. Karen is also a graduate H-A of the United States Pony Club. She has several years experience as a vet tech and a pharmacy technician. She has managed and trained for both large and small boarding and training farms in the Richmond area.

Karen has worked for Virginia Equine since 2006 and manages the clinic and practice operations. Karen is currently a board member and immediate past president of the James River Horse Foundation. She has a passion for thoroughbreds and thoroughbred aftercare.

She enjoys quilting and cooking, and occasionally builds websites and social media programs for friends.  Her passion is the very early training and ground work of the young horse. She is excited to learn working equitation with Jet, her Connemara pony. Margaret also shares her home with two little kittens called Boots and Tinker.

Biography coming soon!

Biography coming soon!

Biography coming soon.

After college Marley spent 3 years managing a large boarding & lesson barn before moving to Virginia to become a show groom for 2 years. She came to Virginia Equine in 2023 and enjoys building relationships with clients and their horses. In her free time she can be found riding and showing her thoroughbred, DJ.

Biography coming soon!

Biography coming soon!