Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinics - Menlo Park

07/02/2025

Please welcome one of our new 2025-2026 Interns ...

Dr. Sara Brown grew up in Castroville, CA and has been riding all her life. Sara competed on the Cal Poly Dressage team while earning her BS in Animal Science from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. After graduating, Sara worked as a veterinary technician for Dr. Anne Terry at Large Animal Vet Service in Santa Cruz, CA, as well as working as an intern in the Internal Medicine department at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, KY. She then went on to earn her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Colorado State University. After completing her Internship at Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinics, Sara plans to pursue a Residency in Equine Internal Medicine, as well as continuing to pursue her interest in Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation.

When asked why she decided to pursue a career as an equine veterinarian, Sara responded: “Horses have given me so much throughout my life, from teaching me resiliency to helping me build friendships. As a veterinarian I can advocate for them and give back to the animals that have given me so much.”

Sara is a proud Army spouse. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, which includes a Yellow Lab named Jet, as well as with her Dressage partner Erragon, a Friesian gelding.

06/24/2025

IT'S FLY SEASON (AGAIN)!
The warming weather makes flies more active. In addition to annoying our horses, flies can cause painful bites, allergies and disease transmission.

Fly masks are an easy way to provide relief and protection, but please bear these tips in mind:
• Choose a mask made of a nonabrasive material with soft linings wherever the mask comes in contact with your horse's face.
• Make sure the mask fits your horse's head properly.
• The mask should not come into contact with your horse’s eyes. Your horse should be able to blink freely.
• Ear coverings should allow your horse to easily flip and move its ears.
• Remove your horse’s fly mask at night unless there is a medical reason to keep it on.
• Keep the mask as clean as possible. Over time, a dirty mask can lead to a skin or eye infection. It’s a good idea to have two masks, so you can wash and thoroughly dry one mask while the other is in use.

A mask may not be enough if the flies are swarming. You might also want to consider additional protection in the form of a fly sheet with neck coverage, fly boots, fly spray, fly traps, and/or natural fly predators (bats, birds, wasps). In the barn, improving ventilation with overhead fans not only keeps the temperature down, it can also help keep flies on the move rather than settling on your horse.

Learn more about fly control at:
https://www.steinbeckpeninsulaequine.com/post/insect-bite-hypersensitivity-managing-the-itchy-horse

06/17/2025

We just hung a lovely canvas print, in the front office of the Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinic in Menlo Park, of the painting "View From Corral de Cielo" by Andrea Johnson, who is the mother of our own Drs. Laramie and Lauren Winfield.

Your can view more of their mom’s artwork at the Winfield Gallery in Carmel-By-The-Sea or at: https://winfieldgallery.com/artists/andrea-johnson

06/16/2025

Would Your Horse Benefit from a Summertime Tuneup?

Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinics has several staff veterinarians certified in equine bodywork (a.k.a. "Adjunctive Therapies") including Equine Veterinary Acupuncture (cVA) and Equine Veterinary Muscle Manipulation (cEVMM), which is similar to Chiropractic for humans.

Equine Acupuncture can be beneficial in the management of back pain, sacroiliac pain, osteoarthritis, muscle soreness, and some medical disorders, and can also be useful as a complementary diagnostic aid.

Equine Veterinary Muscle Manipulation (EVMM) can help restore freedom of movement, relax the muscles and relieve pain in the back, neck and restricted joints in cases of localized or regional stiffness, poor performance or an altered gait not associated with obvious lameness.

Learn more at:

https://www.steinbeckpeninsulaequine.com/acupuncture-chiropractic

These services are available throughout our service areas, from the Monterey Bay to the San Francisco Bay Areas. And now, due to increasing demand, Dr. Hailey Everett is making additional time available for Adjunctive Therapy appointments in the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Cruz areas.

To schedule an Adjunctive Therapy appointment for your horse at one of our clinics or at your location — or an Adjunctive Therapy "Clinic" for multiple horses at your barn or ranch, please phone your nearest Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinic office:

Menlo Park Office: (650) 854-3162

Salinas Office: (831) 455-1808

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06/06/2025

Please welcome Kaylyn Freitas to the Steinbeck Peninsula Equine team...

Kaylyn was born and raised on her parents’ ranch in Gilroy, CA. Her parents ran a horse boarding facility, and the ranch also had goats, chickens, dogs, and a cat. Kaylyn started riding Western at an early age, around 6 years old, and spent every chance she had riding her horses: Jake, Katie and Katana.

From a young age, Kaylyn knew that she wanted to work in veterinary medicine, and it became the only career she saw herself in. She earned an A.A. in Natural Sciences from Gavilan Community College, then transferred to Fresno State University where she added a B.S. in Animal Science — with Pre-Veterinary Emphasis. After graduating college and working in the veterinary industry, Kaylyn discovered that she loved the nursing side of veterinary medicine more than the doctor route and decided to pursue a career as an RVT. She is now enrolled in a program to qualify to take the VTNE to become a licensed RVT.

Kaylyn currently has 2 dogs: Dakota, a Golden Retriever/German Shepherd and Jax, a Labrador Retriever. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, spending time with friends and family, and advocating for the importance of agriculture, all while running a small jewelry business!

In 2024, Kaylyn was crowned as the first Miss Agriculture America Santa Clara County, which has given her a platform to advocate for the agriculture industry and to educate the community on our important agriculture history.

05/21/2025

Please welcome Haley Hulbert-Fout to our Salinas Office Team!

Haley was born and raised in Oakland. Growing up, she spent a lot of time on her godparents’ ranch in Napa, where there was always a pony to ride. Her family likes to joke that she started riding before she could walk. She started with Western but switched to English, and at 13 began training competitively in 3-Day Eventing. Her first horse, Harley, was a very green, off-the-track Quarter-TB cross. Haley says that Harley was her “absolute partner in crime.” When she went off to college, Haley retired Harley on her godparents’ ranch.

While working toward a degree in Equine Science at Colorado State University, Haley decided to transfer to The American University of Paris (AUP), where she earned a degree in Arts & Sciences. She also rode on the AUP Equestrian Team and attended classes at the Sorbonne French University. After Paris, Haley lived in New York City before returning to the Bay Area and settling in Monterey.

Haley had worked in small animal clinics, including serving as an Animal Care Coordinator at the East Bay SPCA. She also worked as a coordinator for Sephora for many years, which was the perfect place for her to indulge her love of makeup. But it has always been Haley’s dream to work in large animal health care, specifically equine. When she moved to Monterey, the position available at Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinic seemed like a truly perfect fit. Haley is currently enrolled in classes with the goal of gaining her RVT certification.

Haley currently has two wonderful dogs: Mochi, a rescued Shiba-Inu mix she got from the Korean K9 rescue while she was fostering for them and living in New York City (a total foster fail); and Augustus, a Miniature Dachshund she got while working as a veterinary assistant at the hospital that saved his mother’s life along with all the puppies in an emergency c-section. In her spare time, Haley enjoys painting, hiking, going to the beach with her dogs, and “living a pretty mellow and peaceful life.” She is close to her family and tries to see her brother in San Jose and her parents in Oakland as often as possible.

05/20/2025

Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinics veterinarian Dr. Haley Palmer recently injected Arthramid into the hock joints of Annikan, a 25 year old Warmblood. Annikan receives routine injections into the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints to help ease the effects of osteoarthritis, keeping him comfortable and active. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of lameness and reduced performance in horses, affecting an estimated 60% of equine athletes at some stage of their lives. Injections of non-steroidal therapeutics such as Arthramid can be more effective and safer than treating OA with corticosteroid injections, which can lead to cartilage degradation. It's also a great option for older horses with metabolic problems or endocrine disease like Equine Cushing's, for whom steroids may be contraindicated. Arthramid is a polyacrylamide hydrogel that has been shown to reduce synovitis, which is recognized as the single most important factor that contributes to the pain of OA.

> Talk with your veterinarian about the what might be causing your horse’s lameness and the best treatment options

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05/11/2025

05/09/2025

MRI is Now Available at the Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinic in Salinas!

MRI enables us to see exceptional detail of soft tissue structures including tendons, ligaments, synovial structures, and cartilage. MRI scans also show lesions in bone and bone edema that typically cannot be identified on radiographs. Standing MRI (sMRI) is highly valuable in many lameness cases and can give us a clearer picture of the diagnosis and prognosis, so we can create an appropriate treatment plan for your horse. Following a lameness exam that localizes the lameness to a specific region of the limb, your veterinarian may recommend an MRI.

We have recently installed a Hallmarq Standing Equine MRI (sMRI) system at our Salinas location. This state-of-the-art diagnostic tool is specifically designed to help us deliver a safe and effective diagnosis for yoWe have recently installed a Hallmarq Standing Equine MRI (sMRI) system at our Salinas location. This state-of-the-art diagnostic tool is specifically designed to help us deliver a safe and effective diagnosis for your horse.

Learn more at: https://www.steinbeckpeninsulaequine.com/mri

sMRI can capture images from a standing, sedated horse, facilitating foot, fetlock, and even suspensory ligament studies. Because sMRI does not require general anesthesia, it is an exceptionally safe procedure providing valuable information that cannot be obtained via other modalities.

Check out these FAQs …
> For horse owners: https://hallmarq.net/us/for-horse-owners/
> For referring vets: https://hallmarq.net/us/for-equine-vets/

To schedule an sMRI for your horse, please call: (831) 455-1808

05/04/2025

Last weekend, we celebrated World Veterinary Day (the last Saturday in April is the official holiday). We decorated desks for each doctor at Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinics and surprised them. Here we have Dr. Tim Eastman, Dr. Jen Williams, and Dr. Zoe Davidson.

05/02/2025

Please welcome Matthew Loggins to our team!

Matt was born and raised in Salinas, where he graduated from North Salinas High School. As a lifelong horse enthusiast, Matt has always been aware of how important Steinbeck Equine is to the local horse community. Since graduating from Central Coast College with a degree in Animal Behavior and Veterinary Assisting, his goal has been to work at Steinbeck. He says he feels “incredibly blessed and honored to have joined the team.” In addition to working, Matt is currently attending Penn Foster, pursuing his next goal of becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), with the ultimate objective of learning everything he can to help horses and their owners as much as possible.

Prior to joining the Steinbeck Equine team, Matt worked for with all kinds of “wild critters” for two years at the Monterey SPCA Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, as a dog trainer for three years, and as a Veterinary Assistant for three years at Banfield Pet Hospital.

Matt has been riding Western since he was 16, doing everything from barrel racing to gymkhana to roping, but he most enjoys trail riding. He currently has two AQHA Quarter Horses named Tango and Skippy, a Morgan named Harley, a Mini named Honey, and his “heart horse” who is a TWH (Tennessee Walking Horse) named Sunny. Matt also dotes on his cat Wizard, his corn snake Bella, and his beloved King who he says is more like his child than a dog.

When not working or studying, you can usually find Matt enjoying time with his huge family, trail riding with Sunny, hiking with King, playing his electric guitar, or traveling to music festivals.

04/27/2025

In California, most any time of year can bring a number of health issues caused by insects to our equine friends.

By Zoe Davidson, DVM, MRCVS - One of the most common causes of the itchy horse is Insect Bite Hypersensitivity (IBH). Learn about classic symptoms, prevention, treatments.