Staff

Dr. Wallace was born in Nova Scotia, Canada and completed his veterinary degree at the near-by University of Prince Edward Island in 1993. After graduation, he pursued a large animal internship in medicine, surgery and reproduction at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. He remained at VA Tech from 1994-1997 to pursue an internal medicine residency and a Masters degree in research related to colic in horses. In 1997 he became a board certified specialist in large animal internal medicine by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Dr. Wallace has published a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals relating to various aspects of large animal medicine.

Dr. Wallace began working in the Piedmont Triad in 1997. His special veterinary interests are equine lameness, colic and neurologic conditions but he practices and enjoys all areas of equine medicine. He is also an adjunct professor in the Equestrian Studies Department at Averett University in Danville, VA where he teaches courses in Lameness and Equine Nutrition. He is also an adjunct assistant professor at North Carolina State University in Equine Primary Care.  Dr. Wallace performs consultation work for a number of pharmaceutical companies and has participated in clinical trials for a variety of new equine drugs that are currently on the market. He also finds the time to speak at a number of meetings including the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association annual convention.  He also is a lecturer in the Basic and Advanced Equine Feedmaster educational programs and is on the faculty of the Equine Management Training Center in Axton, Virginia.

FUN FACT: Dr. Wallace is an organ donor!

Dr. Boyer is a native of Pennsylvania but has lived in Illinois and Ohio as well. She graduated from the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992 and joined a mixed animal practice in Randolph County North Carolina. Although Dr. Boyer enjoyed the variety of a mixed animal practice her true passion is for horses.

In 1998 she joined an equine veterinary practice where she was able to concentrate on equine medicine and reproduction. In 2002 she ventured out on her own and began Cedar Hill Mobile Equine Service where she could ensure a high quality of customer service and patient care.  Dr. Boyer joined Carolina Equine Hospital at its inception in 2009.

Dr. Boyer’s interests include equine reproduction, internal medicine, and general practice. In her spare time Anne enjoys trail riding and spending time with her daughter.

FUN FACT:  Dr. Boyer and her daughter Jenna have bicycled 1200 miles so far this year.

Dr. Talbot was born and raised in southeastern Louisiana just outside of New Orleans. He spent his early years growing up on a small, family operated boarding stable in Algiers, LA. Dr. Talbot and his family both raised and competed American Quarter Horses and were heavily involved in the Palomino Horse Breeder’s Association. During high school he traveled to Tulsa, OK to compete in the PHBA world show with 2 of the family’s horses. He attended Louisiana State University and achieved a B.S. in Animal, Dairy and Poultry Sciences. He enrolled in LSU School of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in May, 2003 with a focus on Equine Medicine.

Dr. Talbot joined Reidsville Veterinary Hospital in June of 2003 as one of 3 full time Large Animal Veterinarians. His primary areas of interest include internal medicine, dentistry, reproduction and neonatology. He also enjoys working on various types of livestock including cattle and goats. His interest in reproduction and neonatology stem from his experiences working at A&I Stallion Station in Covington, LA and through his senior veterinary externship at Haygard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky. His professional memberships include the American Veterinary Medical Association, North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners and the Society for Theriogenology.

While not practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Talbot enjoys most outdoor activities. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, canoeing and the occasional trail ride. Dr. Talbot also enjoys spending time in outdoor pursuits with his wife Sara, two children and their dogs.

FUN FACT- Dr. Talbot was almost killed by a grizzly bear in Alaska!

Dr. Julia Shanahan joined Carolina Equine Hospital in January, 2017 after practicing for several years in Jacksonville, Florida.  She completed her bachelors degree at the University of South Florida and received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine with a special award for Excellence in Equine Medicine.  Her special interests include equine dentistry, lameness evaluation, spinal manipulation and acupuncture.  Dr. Shanahan’s chiropractic training was performed at the Integrated Veterinary Medical Institute in Reddick, Florida where she attained certification as an Equine Medical Manipulation Practitioner.  She enjoys incorporating chiropractic therapy into her total body approach to horse health and wellness.  Her acupuncture training was performed at the Chi Institute of Veterinary Acupuncture.  Dr. Shanahan enjoys an active lifestyle and is excited to explore all that North Carolina has to offer.  She also enjoys running with her dog Tessa and riding her 2 horses.  She finds great rewards in her yearly medical mission trips to Cambodia.

FUN FACT- Dr. Shanahan plays the cello and drives a motorcycle!

Dr. Lavie grew up in Covington, LA, where he was introduced to horses through pleasure riding. He attended Louisiana State University for undergraduate studies where he developed his passion for equine medicine by working in the veterinary research lab and teaching hospital. In the teaching hospital, he primarily worked in the equine intensive care/neonate unit and with the Diagnostic Imaging Department assisting with nuclear scintigraphy (“bone scans”). He then attended Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine where he and his wife graduated in 2014. Upon graduation, he did a 1-year equine medicine, surgery and reproduction internship at the prestigious Weatherford Equine Medical Center in Weatherford, Tx. Dr. Lavie joined Carolina Equine Hospital in 2021 after spending the last several years practicing large animal medicine in the Charlotte, NC area. Dr. Lavie has a special interest and a great deal of experience in equine lameness and sports medicine.  He also enjoys equine dentistry and reproduction work.

In his free time, Dr. Lavie enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and dog. They enjoy hiking and backpacked the Inca Trail in Peru in 2019.  They hope to continue with more adventures abroad in the future.

FUN FACT- In high school Dr. Lavie played the sousaphone and the saxophone!

Dr. Sparks was born in Charlotte, NC but grew up mostly in Central Illinois. Her family has always owned horses, and they have trail ridden in many beautiful areas. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Eastern Illinois University and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri. At Mizzou, she received a scholarship for equine aptitude and academic excellence, was involved with Colic and Foal Team, and was specially recognized for her skill in radiographic interpretation. Upon graduation, Dr. Sparks did a 1-year internship at Carolina Equine Hospital. She enjoyed the people, horses, and area so much that she stayed with CEH as an Associate Veterinarian after her internship. Her areas of special interest include diagnostic imaging, lameness, wound care, and ophthalmology. Dr. Sparks is also very passionate about exceptional client communication and education because our human connections are just as important as our equine patients!

In her free time, Dr. Sparks enjoys trail riding with her horse (McClintock) and her family, going to the beach, and spending time with her husband (Ryan) and her Border Collie mix (Renni). 

FUN FACT – Dr. Sparks and her family owned an ostrich and emu ranch in Waxhaw, NC called Too Tall Ranch!

Patricia spent 20 years in the small animal world, in both technical and managerial roles, before joining Carolina Equine Hospital in October 2019 as a part-time inventory manager.  Over the next six months, she became completely enamored with Carolina Equine Hospital’s team, culture and commitment to exceptional patient and client care.  She took on the role of full-time practice manager in April 2020.     

Patricia has a Master of Science degree from Queen’s University in Canada, is certified as an Approved Veterinary Assistant through the National Association of Veterinary Technicians and is also certified in the human-animal bond by the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute/North American Veterinary Community.   

In her spare time, Patricia leads two Girl Scout troops and enjoys spending time with her husband, two teenage children, two dogs and two cats.

FUN FACT:  Patricia has a sand collection that contains samples from a variety of locations including Finland, Japan, Jamaica, Australia and Canada.  One Canadian sample comes from Canadian Forces Station Alert - the northern-most inhabited location in the world.

Kit was born in Tightsqueeze, Va.  She grew up on a farm raising and showing American Saddlebreds.  She worked for White Oak Animal Clinic for 10 years and then transitioned to barn manager for Averett University Equestrian Studies program for 21 years.  She joined Carolina Equine Hospital in 2014 and is an invaluable member of our staff.

She is married to her husband Johnny and shares her home with 2 horses, 11 cats, 2 parrots and various wildlife on their farm.  While not working Kit continues to provide a loving, nurturing environment for all animals she comes in contact with.

FUN FACT- Kit puts out a whole cup of live mealworms a day for the wild birds. She has 23 mealworm farms in her house!

Madison joined the Carolina Equine team in August, 2020. She grew up riding and training horses in Summerfield NC and attended North West Guilford High School. When she's not running around Carolina Equine Hospital she can be found on her farm in Reidsville with her 3 horses, 5 goats, 7 cats, and 2 dogs. It's safe to say that animals are her pride and joy! She can also be spotted going on walks with her  two bottle baby fainting goats Bowie and Shug or going fishing.

FUN FACT: Starting young horses is Madison's favorite pastime!

Kristen was introduced to the world of horses at the age of seven and has never looked back. When attending Averett University she was involved in multiple riding teams while continuing to study her passion of science, which lead her to earning a Bachelor's of Science in the majors of Biomedical Science and Equine Science. Following her time at university, she became one of the family at CEH and enjoys supporting the veterinarians, giving top notch care to patients and expanding her knowledge. In her free time you can find her either out with her own two horses or her three dogs, just enjoying the little things in life.

FUN FACT- Kristen has been to all 30 MLB Stadiums!

Madison graduated from Averett University with a major in Equine Science and a minor in Criminal Justice. Madison previously worked in the small animal field for several years. She enjoys spending time with her 2 horses Ghost and Gentry and 3 dogs (Tucker, River, Finnley). Madison also hopes to be able to get into veterinary school and during her time here at Carolina Equine Hospital she wants to expand her knowledge and education in larger animal medicine. She has also obtained a certification in Veterinary Forensic Medicine from the University of Florida. Most recently has completed the online certification program in American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians & Assistants (AAEVT) for equine health care and continuing education.

FUN FACT- Other than horses and dogs, one of her favorite animals are penguins!

Lexi was born and raised in Warrenton, Virginia. She grew up showing Quarter horses with her family. She later developed a passion for all of types of livestock. Throughout those younger years and up until now, she has shown cattle, hogs and the occasional goat or sheep. Once she graduated from high school she attended Virginia Tech and graduated with a degree in Agriculture Technology. After college she moved to Richmond, Virginia and worked as an equine vet assistant for a year and a half. Since then she has moved down to Reidsville and joined our team in April of 2023. In Lexi’s free time you can find her playing with her dogs (Faith and Deak) or in the barn working with her ponies or show cattle.

FUN FACT: Lexi has identical mirror twin brothers as well as a identical mirror twin grandmother and great aunt!

Lillie was born and raised in Mebane, NC. She grew up riding horses and showing working western but now is trying her hand at the rodeo scene. She barrel races, Breakaway ropes, goat ties, and ranch sorts. Lillie rode and worked polo horses for about a year and a half before getting her job at Carolina Equine Hospital. Lillie got her associates in animal care management at Alamance Community College in Graham NC, and has worked with animals be specifically horses her whole life. Lillie has a big interest in body work and PEMF therapy's in horses and eventually wants to have her own PEMF Machine and be able to help horses with recovery.

Fun Fact: Was rookie of the year in 2023 for Cowgirl Triathlon, which is Breakaway roping, then running the barrels and then tying a goat all in one run!

Gracie is from Reidsville, NC, where she grew up showing western pleasure and working western.  She recently graduated from North Carolina State University where she majored in Animal Science and minored in Genetics.

Fun Fact: Gracie’s favorite band is Greta Van Fleet!

Ashley joined the Carolina Equine Hospital crew back in November 2015 and has been part of the family ever since. A proud North Carolina native, she studied Art and Design at Lee’s-McRae College in Banner Elk (GO BOBCATS!) where she honed her creative side in the mountains.

Outside of work, Ashley can be found trap shooting on Sundays, sitting in a tree stand any chance she gets during deer season, hunting for vintage gems while thrifting, and unwinding with a true crime documentary. She’s also a big hockey fan and never misses a chance to cheer on the Carolina Hurricanes with her boyfriend and their two feline sidekicks, Posie and Hazel.

Fun Fact: Ashley’s favorite day of the year is opening day for dove season.

Mia was born and raised in Mooresville, NC. Growing up, she was always around horses and spent most of high school as well as the summers in college as a working student. She obtained a Bachelors degree in Equine Science from Averett University in 2022. She was on the Averett University riding team and qualified for collegiate nationals two times. During college Mia's Off-the-Track Thoroughbred had to have stifle surgery and this sparked her passion for equine rehabilitation. After graduation, she began her career in veterinary medicine at a small animal clinic in Danville VA, but her passion was always horses. Mia joined the CEH team in May of 2023. In her free time you can find Mia spending time with her 3 horses (Liza, Dexter and Delilah), 2 dogs (Eragon and Frannie), 1 cat (MJ aka Moon Juice), and her husband, Gino. You may also find her doing bodywork, using her Bemer blanket, or KT taping her own or other peoples horses to help them feel their best.

FUN FACT: Mia was a 1lb 8oz premature baby!

Dr. Rebecca Stinson is one of the founding partners of Carolina Equine Hospital.  Since 2016, she has focused her attention on helping to develop young veterinarians through the educational process.  Currently, she works as the Student Services Representative for the American Veterinary Medical Association Trust.  In this role, she provides support to students around the country and beyond as they are progressing through their veterinary college experience.  Although she no longer works in the practice full time, Dr. Stinson continues to be involved with the leadership team of the practice.  Together, the team helps to identify best practices to continue to serve our clients, community and the horses that they care about. Dr. Stinson does not see routine appointments but does occasionally consult with the rest of the veterinary team regarding ophthalmology, her long time special interest.