OPEN TO VETERINARIANS, FARRIERS, HORSE CARE PROVIDERS AND INTERESTED HORSE OWNERS.

Will Faudree grew up on a cattle ranch in Midland, Texas where he  learned to ride at a very young age. He became interested in eventing at  the age of 12 and started competing. When he graduated from high  school, he moved to Pennsylvania to train with Olympic Rider Phillip Dutton.

In 1999 he was faced with a life-threatening brain injury after being  thrown from his horse. The concussion he received was significant. When  he was medically stabilized and released, he was faced with several  months of intensive physical therapy. Will bounced back to be named the  United States Eventing Association Young Rider of the Year in 2002. He  was also presented with the Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Trophy—awarded to the  young rider who exemplifies the United States equestrian team’s ideals  of sportsmanship and horsemanship.

After 2 years of training with Phillip, Will ventured out on his own  and relocated to Southern Pines, North Carolina in 2003. Will went on to  represent the United States as a 2003 Gold winning member of the Pan  American Team in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and a reserve member  of the 2004 US Olympic Team in Athens, Greece. He returned home from  Athens, however, to discover that a lightning strike had destroyed his  barn and the majority of his personal property (without injury to horse  or human). Ever resilient, Will rented a farm from neighboring residents  and went on to represent the US as a 2006 team member at the World  Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. In 2008, he relocated to a facility  just outside of Southern Pines and established his impressive 170-acre  facility, Gavilan Farm.

Will has been a constant figure of the upper levels of equestrian  sport since as a reserve for both the London (2012) and Tokyo (2021)  Olympics as well as competing in multiple international events around  the globe. 

Jane M. Manfredi, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVS-LA, DACVSMR (Equine), PG Cert is the Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine and an Associate Professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated from the Atlantic Veterinary College (Prince Edward Island, Canada), did an internship at Mississippi State University, and spent time in a private mixed large animal private practice and at two Chicago race tracks before completing a large animal surgical residency at the University of Minnesota. She completed a PhD at Michigan State in Comparative Medicine and Integrative Biology and became boarded in equine sports medicine and rehabilitation before joining the faculty. Her research interests include the intersection of endocrine disorders and osteoarthritis, sports medicine and rehabilitation of the performance horse, and rider/horse/tack interactions. She has a passion for teaching and has been awarded the MSU Teacher Scholar Award as well as being named an Academy of Veterinary Educators Distinguished Expert and is an FEI level dressage rider.

Brian Pietrosimone is a Professor and Director of the MOTION Science Institute in the Department of Exercise and Sports Science at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He

is also a founding Co-Director of the UNC Sports Medicine Institute, a clinical and research collaboration merging multiple departments across the University to deliver the best

Orthopaedics care and conduct the highest quality sports medicine research. He is a co-founder and president of Vetta Solutions, a start-up company developing wearable solutions for gait retraining for people with musculoskeletal injuries and conditions. 

Overall, his research focuses

on understanding and treating the biomechanical factors linked to knee osteoarthritis development and progression. Dr. Pietrosimone has published over 230 peer-reviewed scientific papers. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense as well as other foundations including the Arthritis Foundation, National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association, and the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association.

Dr. Meghan Ramos, VMD, DACVSMR is an Assistant Professor in Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where she also serves as Medical Director of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center. She is a board-certified Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR) and holds clinical expertise in canine performance medicine, musculoskeletal disease, and non-surgical rehabilitation.

Dr. Ramos received her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 and is completing a master’s degree in Translational Research at the Perelman School of Medicine. Her postdoctoral training includes a specialty internship and residency in canine sports medicine and rehabilitation at Penn Vet. Through her academic and clinical roles, she is deeply committed to veterinary education, mentoring students through clinical rotations, co-op programs, and research initiatives in canine musculoskeletal disease and performance.

Her research centers on the development of evidence-based methods for assessing and enhancing canine fitness, injury prevention, and disease detection, particularly in working dogs. Dr. Ramos is a lead contributor to the Penn Vet Working Dog Center’s CanimetricsTM Program and has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on canine performance, physiology, and rehabilitation. Her most recent work investigates canine the neuromuscular effects of unstable exercise surfaces. 

Her dedication to applied sports medicine in working dogs has led to impactful collaborations across law enforcement, military, and academic settings, advancing the health, safety, and performance of canine athletes.

Dr. Lauren Schnabel is a Professor of Equine Orthopedic Surgery at NC State University as well as PI of the Schnabel Laboratory and Associate Director of the Comparative Medicine Institute. She completed her DVM, surgery residency, and PhD at Cornell University under the mentorship of Dr. Lisa Fortier and her internship at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. She is board certified as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons as well as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. Both her clinical and research work are focused on the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and advancing equine rehabilitation protocols. In 2019, was named an NC State University Faculty Scholar for her success in clinical work, research, teaching, mentorship, and community outreach efforts. In 2020, Dr. Schnabel was awarded the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence.

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.