Meet Our Team
Damien Cain
Clinical Director
Damien Cain BVSc MRCVS
Damien graduated from University of Melbourne, Australia in 1999. He worked for 4 years in mixed/equine practice in Australia before heading off to travel the world as many Australian vets do.
Over the next three years he worked as a locum equine vet in various parts of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, before settling down with a lovely girl from Yorkshire. He started working for us in 2006 for two years before returning to Australia with his now wife, Jo and their two sons.
We were very pleased that they decided to return and make Yorkshire their permanent home and we welcomed Damien back as our third partner in the Equine Centre in 2010. He has a special interest in equine reproduction and breeding with ‘problem’ mares as well as general equine internal medicine.
Phillip McKervey
Vet MRCVS
Phil graduated in 2018 from the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest. After graduating he completed a 1.5 year internship in Equine Medicine at Towcester Equine Vets. He then moved to work in the Cotswold at Summerhill Equine Vets who specialise in TB Racehorse performance and lameness work.
Phil is currently studying for a Cert (AVP) in Equine Lameness and Diagnostics at the University of Liverpool. Philips main interests are lameness and poor performance workups.
Outside of work Phil’s main interests are golf, fishing and horse racing.
Joana Pimenta
Vet MRCVS
Joana hails from Portugal. She graduated from the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro in 2018. Throughout her last year of vet school she did externships at the Equine Clinic De Morette (Belgium), Horse Hospital in University of Tennesse (USA), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Lisbon (Portugal) and Hospital De Referencia La Equina (Spain).
After graduation, she completed a 15 months rotating internship at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in University of Lisbon, Portugal. Then, early this year, completed a second rotating internship at the Equine Clinic De Morette in Belgium.
Her special interests are internal medicine and ultrasonagraphy.
In her free time Joana enjoys swimming, going to the gym, spending time with her dogs and heading to the cinema.
Barbara Hulajova
Vet MRCVS
Barbara Hulajova MRCVS
Barbara completed her studies at the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Kosice and graduated back in 2019.
Upon graduating she completed an internship at Troytown equine hospital in Ireland. Then to gain more experience in different areas of veterinary medicine, she returned to Slovakia and worked at a small animal practice. Barbara’s most recent work has been at a practice in the beautiful Santorini.
Her favourite ways to spend her days off are horse riding, travelling and cooking.
She has been riding horses since she was 5 in numerous disciplines and worked at yards in her teenage years as a groom. From a young age she always knew she wanted to work with horses
Libby Dutton
Vet MRCVS
Libby completed her studies at the University of Liverpool, School of Veterinary Science and graduated with commendation in July 2022.
Throughout her studies she has completed placements at a number of world renowned hospitals, including Newmarket Equine Hospital and Leahurst Equine Hospital, where she gained lots of hands on experience.
Her favourite ways to spend days off include walking her Border Terrier, Reggie in the Peak District and meeting up with friends. Libby has always had a keen interest in horses and has been riding since she was just 6 years old! Before university she spent time working on a show yard and as a groom.
Jo Cain
PRACTICE MANAGER
Besides trying to organise all of us (more than a full time job lets face it!), Jo is also kept extremely busy running around after Damien, their two sons, the horses and their menagerie of animals. When she gets a chance she still likes to go riding herself and looks forward to the day the boys are all big enough to look after themselves…
Ellie Frow
Patient Care Assistant/Reception
Ellie started with us in October 2018, though she and her family have been long term clients of the practice. Ellie is part of our cheerful and friendly reception team. When not working, she is kept busy with her own horses and going on walks with her family.
Though she does also likes to “relax” by playing the occasional game of Rugby.
Jade Briggs
Office Manager
Jade joined the practice in 2019 originally as temporary staff and has worked her way up to Office Manager.
Jade came to work for EVC after spending 3 years working for Bransby Horses Rescue and Welfare, before this she spent 2 years at Aberystwyth University studying a degree in Equine Science. Outside of work Jade likes to spend her time with her two young nephews and taking care of her cats Bertie, Bruce and Rabbit.
Cheryl Almand
HEAD RECEPTIONIST
She spends her spare time riding her shared horse Merlyn and caring for her menagerie of ponies, dogs, cats, chickens and birds of prey.
Beth Iveson
RECEPTIONIST
Time to introduce Beth – our newest member to the office team.
Many moons ago she was a client with her lovely horse Jaz. She doesn’t have much time to enjoy riding these days with 3 young children keeping her busy!
If Beth does have an hour to herself she enjoys shopping & the occasional gin.
Natasha Shelton
RECEPTIONIST
One of her favourite ways to spend a day off is competing in dressage with her horse Libby but always has time to give her old boy flint a groom too. Natasha has always had a keen interest in horses and has had them from being 10 years old.