Meet Our Vets
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Richard Jones MA VetMB CertEP MRCVS
Richard founded the practice in 1989 after spending twenty years in mixed practice based in Maidstone. At that time it was clear to him that there was a need for a practice specialising in equine work to develop in west Kent. The practice grew rapidly thanks to the dedication of the team that he built up, and he continued to steer and develop it in order to maintain our position as a 'centre of excellence' dedicated to serve the horses and their owners in the community.
Richard retired from the Partnership at the end of 2005, but continues to be involved in the practice and see clients. -
Karen Coumbe MA VetMB CertEP CertVA MRCVS
Karen Coumbe studied at Girton College, Cambridge and qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 1984. She worked in mixed practice for five years and then moved to set up Bell Equine with Richard Jones in 1989, the same year that she passed her certificate in Equine Practice. She became a partner here in 1995. She is responsible for anaesthesia at the practice, which is her special interest, along with ophthalmology, dermatology and ultrasonography.
She is the veterinary correspondent for Horse & Hound and has also published and edited several books and articles both for the general public and veterinary surgeons.
She has been involved with the equine veterinary nursing qualification since it started and is a nursing examiner. She was appointed as an official veterinarian for the FEI in 2005 and is an official measurer for both the JMB and FEI.
Karen spent the summer of 2008 working as the Veterinary Clinic Supervisor/treating vet for the Equestrian Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympics 2008 in Hong Kong, where she had an awesome time and is delighted to have achieved her dream of sending all the horses home safely! She was equally pleased to pass her Certificate in Veterinary Anaesthesia in 2008 and hopes now she can spend a bit more time enjoying life with her family! -
Tim Mair BVSc PhD DEIM DESTS DipECEIM MRVCS
Tim graduated from the University of Bristol in 1980. He then worked in a mixed practice in Kent before returning to the University of Bristol as a Horserace Betting Levy Board scholar to undertake research in equine immunology and respiratory disease. He obtained a PhD in 1986, and then stayed at Bristol as a Wellcome Trust Lecturer in Equine Medicine. He returned to mixed practice in 1990, and joined the BEVC in 1992, becoming a partner in 1995. He has obtained diplomas and is a recognised specialist of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in both Equine Internal Medicine and Equine Soft Tissue Surgery, and is a founding diplomate of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine.
He has been editor of Equine Veterinary Education, the official journal of the British Equine Veterinary Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners, since 1996, and is an assistant editor of Equine Veterinary Journal. He has an interest in clinical research (currently concentrating on MRI, colic, neoplasia and clinical audit), and has published widely in the professional veterinary literature (with over 140 peer reviewed veterinary articles). He has also written and edited several books on equine veterinary medicine and surgery. He has acted as external examiner for veterinary undergraduates at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and University of Bristol, and in 2007 he became a Visiting Professor at the RVC. Tim leads the hospital services at BEVC, and has special interests in equine medicine, colic, soft tissue surgery and MRI. He also supervises our residency, intern and extern programmes.
Tim is married with four children. In the little free time that he has, Tim enjoys time with his family, walking, gardening and getting away from the telephone! -
Julian Samuelson MA VetMB MRCVS
Julian graduated from Cambridge University in 1987 and joined the practice in 1989 after working for two years in mixed practice at Crowhurst & Partners in Maidstone. He became a Partner in 1995. As well as spending a good proportion of his time in the ambulatory side of the practice looking after clients in the middle of Kent, Julian is the Managing Partner of the practice with specific responsibility for the day to day management of the business as well as coordinating the development and implementation of the business strategy.
Julian is a member of the Board of Trustees for The Horse Trust, the world’s oldest horse charity whose strategic goal is to develop, demonstrate and disseminate best practice in equine care. He is also a member of the Hadlow College Business Advisory Council.
His wife Carol and two children, Oliver and Jessie, all ride and are active with the Romney Marsh Pony Club. Having spent his own childhood riding and driving pairs of ponies, competing at a national level, he now enjoys being a spectator although he is occasionally seen in a saddle, much to his children's amusement! If he ever has any time off, he likes to go skiing. -
David Sinclair BVetMed CertES(Orth) MRCVS
David was raised in a riding school. He pursued a nursing career, specialising in human orthopaedic and casualty nursing, prior to graduating from the Royal Veterinary College in 1996.He joined the practice immediately, and became a partner in 2002.
Apart from his ambulatory practice, David continues his orthopaedic interest, specialising in lameness diagnosis and has obtained his Certificate in Equine Orthopaedics in 2009. Other main interests include surgery and reproductive work.
David's clients will be aware of his other keen life interest, his wife Lizzie and three children Conor, Naomi and Fenton. Hobbies (for which there is absolutely no time at present) include wild water canoeing, squash and mechanical engineering. -
Jane Morgan BVM&S CertEP MRCVS
Jane Morgan (nee Lindop) qualified from Edinburgh University in 2001 and spent a year at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Centre in Virginia, USA completing an internship in equine medicine and surgery. She worked in large animal and equine practice on the North Yorkshire Moors for a year before joining Bell Equine in June 2003. In 2005 she obtained the RCVS certificate in Equine Practice. Jane is one of the Ambulatory team and her special interests include colic and geriatric medicine. She enjoys running, skiing, walking with her springer spaniel, Stella, and music.
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Rob Pascoe BVSc MRCVS
BEVA/BVDA Approved Equine Dentistry
Rob Pascoe qualified from the University of Bristol in 1999 and started in mixed practice in North Devon immediately afterwards. During the next two years he became very interested in equine dentistry and moved back to the University of Bristol to join their equine practice to further hone his skills. There he worked with recognised experts in equine dental disease. He also attended courses run by the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and has since become a tutor on all the BEVA dentistry courses. Rob has also traveled widely to lecture on equine dentistry, with regular visits to the USA. In October 2003, he sat the British Equine Veterinary and British Veterinary Dental Associations’ exam in equine dentistry and became only the second veterinary surgeon in the UK to successfully pass and achieve BEVA/BVDA approved status. In 2004, he became an examiner for the BEVA/BVDA equine dentistry exam and was appointed as the chairman of the examination committee from 2005 to 2008. Rob joined Bell Equine Clinic in 2006, bringing both first opinion and referral dentistry services to the practice. Outside of work, Rob enjoys many outdoor pursuits including walking, mountain biking and sea kayaking.
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Edd Knowles MA VetMB MRCVS
Edd graduated from Cambridge University in 2005. He worked in small animal practice at the PDSA for 18 months before joining BEVC as an intern in January 2007. After completing his internship he stayed at Bell Equine as an ambulatory vet primarily covering the North West area of the practice for a further 2-3 years. Edd has now moved back into the hospital to specialise in internal medicine.
He is currently undertaking a residency program shared between Bell Equine and the Royal Veterinary College, leading to the European Diploma in Equine Internal Medicine. This involves working-up and treating more complicated medical cases as well as further study and clinical research. Edd has broad clinical interests with specific research interests in laminitis.
Edd enjoys many outdoor pursuits including sailing, skiing, walking and climbing. -
Elizabeth Barr BVMS PhD CertES(Orth) DipECVS MRCVS
Liz qualified from Glasgow University in 2000, before undertaking further surgical training at the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket and an equine hospital in Alberta, Canada. She then undertook a three year residency in equine orthopaedics at the University of Liverpool. She also spent some time as a clinician in equine surgery and orthopaedics at Edinburgh University and in a private practice in Lambourn before returning to Liverpool University to undertake research and a PhD on osteoarthritis. Liz holds the European Diploma in Large Animal Surgery and the Royal College Certificate in Equine Surgery (Orthopaedics). She has an interest in all aspects of equine orthopaedics including surgery, lameness diagnosis, imaging and sports horse injuries and an interest in emergency surgery.
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Mette B Christensen DVM MRCVS
Mette trained in Copenhagen and qualified in 2007. Following graduation she was an Intern at Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital in Victoria, Australia. She then worked in an equine practice in Denmark for 18 months before returning to Goulburn Valley as a reproduction vet. She has just finished her second season there having also worked a season at Santa Lucia Farm, California in between. Mette has a broad interests in equine medicine and surgery, particularly reproduction and neonatal medicine.
Outside work Mette enjoys outdoor pursuits and sport activities, in particular surfing, swimming, hiking and running. -
Alice Bird MA VetMB MRCVS
Alice graduated from Cambridge University in 2009 and joined Bell Equine as one of our hospital interns shortly after. Since her internship Alice spent a short time working as an equine ambulatory vet in East Kent before re-joining us as part of our ambulatory team in 2011.A little known fact about Alice is that she successfully competed in the Shetland Pony Grand National at Olympia! That was some time ago - now Alice has settled down and enjoys all aspects of equine veterinary work with particular interests in medicine,anaesthesia and infectious diseases. She is still very fond of Shetland ponies!
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Camilla Scott BVetMed MRCVS
After graduating from The Royal Veterinary College in 2006 Camilla spent 18 months in mixed practice in the New Forest before joining us here at Bell Equine for an Internship. Since completing her internship she has undertaken a number of appointments including a stud season in Australia. Camilla enjoys all aspects of equine practice but in particular stud and internal medicine and is currently studying for her certificate in equine internal medicine. Outside of work Camilla is a fanatical skier, she has recently spent a ski season in Canada and is looking forward to her next trip to the mountains.
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John King BVSc MRCVS
John, more commonly known as JP, is from Co.Down, Northern Ireland. He graduated from the University of Liverpool in July 2010 and since graduating has worked as a locuum in mixed practice doing predominately equine work. JP also spent a month with the Horse and Donkey trust in The Gambia doing voluntary work before coming to Bell Equine. Outside of work his main interests include horse racing and keeping fit. He has been breeding racehorses at home since the age of 16 and closely follows National Hunt Racing. He enjoys all aspects of equine medicine but particularly stud medicine and also has a keen interest in orthopaedics. JP finished his internship here in November 2011 and is enjoying some well-earned rest and recuperation travelling the world before returning refreshed as an ambulatory vet in May 2012.
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Keri-Lee Dobbie BSc. BVSc MRCVS
Keri-Lee graduated from the University of Pretoria, South Africa in 2010 and has now arrived at Bell Equine after having spent 4 months doing hospital externships at equine referral centres in the UK and Dubai. Her veterinary interests include surgery, particularly orthopaedics and all lameness challenges. She hopes that this internship will be the first step on the long road to fulfill her ambition to become an equine surgeon. Keri-Lee has been riding virtually her entire life. She been a volunteer for South African Riding for the Disabled Association for 14 years and was founder and chairperson of the Young Members Group of the South African Equine Veterinary Association. In her free time Keri-Lee enjoys riding and being outdoors, but also spends her limited leisure time dancing and learning Spanish.
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Lauren Wert BSc BVMS MRCVS
Lauren Wert, who has joined us at an intern, graduated from Glasgow Vet School in 2010. She then spent some time locuming at an Equine practice in Scotland before volunteering with Animal Care in Egypt. She has a special interest with equine anaesthesia and all things related to donkeys. In her spare time she enjoys riding, hill walking and running with her 5 year old Border Collie, Nekoma.