About Fairfield Equine Associates: Founded in 1989 and developing rapidly, Fairfield Equine Associates has gained a world-wide reputation as one of the finest equine medical practices in the world. Receiving national and international recognition for excellence in the care and treatment of the sport horse, we have been proud to serve the United States Equestrian Team at multiple Olympic Games and other international events for the past four decades. In November of 2000, Fairfield Equine opened a state-of-the-art equine hospital in Newtown, Connecticut. With highly skilled staff and the latest technological advancements, our patients receive innovative care of the highest caliber. We recognize that our ability to provide premium care to our patients consists of a few key ingredients: our staff, our clients, and our referring veterinarians. We are dedicated to exceeding our clients' expectations while providing compassionate, comprehensive health care for their horses.
Philosophy: This is a hands-on internship in a fast-paced, ambulatory/referral practice setting aimed at providing highly motivated veterinarians with strong mentorship in a variety of diagnostic and treatment modalities. Interns gain well-rounded experience in both equine primary care and referral practice, with a heavy slant towards sport horse performance medicine. Emphasis of the internship will be in lameness examination and diagnostic imaging, with additional caseload supporting experience in surgery/anesthesia, internal medicine, emergency medicine, dentistry, and ophthalmology. Upon completion of our program, our interns have exceptional veterinary skills suitable for advanced clinical practice. Previous interns have also pursued residencies in diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, surgery, anesthesia, ophthalmology, and emergency/critical care.
Internship Duties: Interns rotate among all the doctors to see cases on the road and to help manage hospitalized patients. Interns (4) rotate weekly through: Hospital Day, Hospital Night, and two Ambulatory rotations. In the hospital, interns are responsible for daily patient assessments and assist with treatments and procedures, both elective and emergency. Interns also receive a week of anesthesia training at the University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center with their team of boarded anesthesiologists and staff. After an initial training period, each intern will be expected to scrub into surgical cases and run anesthesia. On the road, the intern initially shares ambulatory emergency case responsibility with a practice veterinarian. As the intern gains experience and comfort with seeing cases, their responsibilities increase, and they will see emergency cases independently. A senior veterinarian will always be available as back-up for consultation and assistance if needed. Additionally, each intern spends some time at our satellite location in Wellington, FL during the Winter Equestrian Festival. Hospital and journal club rounds are conducted regularly.
Facilities and Equipment: Our hospital facility was opened in November 2000, and includes a 16-stall hospital, fully equipped surgical suite (including laparoscopic and arthroscopic equipment), two induction/recovery stalls, treatment and examination areas, and a riding ring for lameness examinations. Our diagnostic equipment includes nuclear scintigraphy, Hallmarq low-field MRI, Sound digital radiography and ultrasound, and 1.2-m & 3-m video endoscopy/gastroscopy. Therapies commonly used include Prostride, A2M, stem cells, shockwave, Class 4 RLT Laser, functional electrostimulation (FES), and Magnawave. Complete in-house ldexx diagnostic laboratory is available as is iStat, SAA, and both insulin and lactate stall-side readers.
Staff Veterinarians: Richard D. Mitchell, DVM, MRCVS, DACVSMR; Robert T. Neff, VMD; Ryland B. Edwards Ill, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR; Kimberly J. Harmon, VMD; Danielle M. Stacy, DVM; Lamise M. Al-Basha, DVM; Summer Lawrence, DVM; Zena M. Hemmen, DVM; Rachel Powers, DVM; Rebecca Skirmont, DVM; Alycia R. Crandall, DVM, MBA, DACVS-LA
Staff: Our full-time professional staff consists of 15 veterinarians, a COO, practice manager, two office personnel, a pharmacy manager, 9 ambulatory veterinary technicians, 3 therapy technicians, and 5 hospital technicians.
We routinely collaborate with specialists to provide care for horses requiring more in-depth diagnostics/procedures:
Dentistry: Robert Baratt, DVM, Dipl. AVDC, Dipl. AVDC-Equine
Internal Medicine: Amy Polkes, DVM, DACVIM
Ophthalmology: Corey Schmidt, DVM, MPH, MS, DACVO; Elizabeth Crabtree, DVM, DACVO
Types of cases: Approximately 3,000 lameness exams are performed each year. In the previous year, we performed 140 surgeries. The remainder of the caseload is comprised of medicine and wellness cases. Approximately 150 bone scans and 230 MRls are performed yearly.
Estimated Breakdown of daily or weekly load: The caseload at Fairfield Equine Associates varies from routine wellness care to advanced lameness cases in addition to a varied emergency caseload (ambulatory and hospital referral).
Prerequisites of Application and Internship: DVM (or equivalent) from an accredited veterinary school; Successful completion of the NAVLE or NBE and CCT; Curriculum Vitae; Letter of Intent; Transcript; 3 letters of Recommendation; Personal interview; An externship at Fairfield Equine Associates is strongly recommended.
Employee Benefits: Exceptional housing on-site in individual apartment with utilities included; health and dental insurance; 7 days vacation; CE allowance and additional 3 days time-off; professional liability insurance; limited use of a practice vehicle; cell phone for business use; licensure in Connecticut, New York, and Florida; FEI credentialing; DEA licensing fees paid; AVMA and AAEP dues.
Employment Term: June 2025 – June 2026; exact dates are tentative and somewhat flexible.