Speaker Biographies

Joe D. Pagan - MS, PhD, Founder & President of Kentucky Equine Research

Dr. Joe Pagan, Founder and President of Kentucky Equine Research, has created the gold standard for innovation in equine nutrition and exercise physiology research. We are fortunate to have a direct line into the very latest in equine nutrition research and development as part of our over 20-year exclusive partnership. The volume of published work completed at Kentucky Equine Research rivals that of leading universities. No other private research facility has contributed more original research to the proceedings of the Equine Science Society in the past 35 years.

Dr. Pagan received his B.S.A. degree from the University of Arkansas in animal nutrition, and received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University in equine nutrition and exercise physiology.

He formed Kentucky Equine Research in 1988 to be an international research, consulting and product development firm dealing in the areas of equine nutrition and sports medicine.

Kentucky Equine Research served as equine nutrition consultants for the last six Olympic Games. Dr. Pagan received the 2005 American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) Award in Equine Nutrition Research. This award recognises excellence in equine nutrition research and the contributions of an individual to equine feeding management practices and the equine feed industry.

Dr. Pagan has been conducting innovative research for over 35 years at the flagship facility in Versailles, Kentucky, and at the Kentucky Equine Research Performance Centre in Ocala, Florida.

Lizzie Drury - MSc, RNutr, Senior Nutritionist and Associate Director, Saracen Horse Feeds

Lizzie leads the technical and nutrition team at Saracen, where she has worked for over 20 years, and is responsible for providing nutrition support to grass roots horse owners up to and including many Olympic Riders as well as members of the British Gold Medal winning Dressage Team. She manages feed formulations, product innovation and development working in collaboration with the world leaders in equine nutrition research - Kentucky Equine Research (KER). She works closely with academia and clinicians providing lectures to many colleges, universities, and veterinary practices. Lizzie travels extensively, consulting and lecturing in many European Countries and now also spends an increasing amount of time supporting clients in the Middle East countries.

Her area of interest is the performance horse. Working with horses daily and experiencing first hand some of the challenges that riders, owners and the horses themselves face during training and preparation for competitions means that Lizzie fully understands the needs of her clients. She enjoys working with clients of any level and experience to provide them with the ‘tool box’ of solutions to help ensure that they get the best out their horses and ponies, and most of all to enjoy them in the knowledge and confidence that Lizzie will always be on hand to help. Lizzie is now also a published author and has recently published a book (Evidence based equine nutrition) in conjunction with her co-editor, Dr Teresa Hollands, another well-known international nutritionist, where they have excelled at bringing the science of equine nutrition into a practical ‘go to’ book aimed specifically at veterinarians and students.

Ollie Crowe - Specialist Surgeon, BVSc, CertES(Orth), DipECVS, MRCVS

Ollie qualified from Liverpool Vet School in 1997. He worked in Newmarket for 2 years before undertaking a 3-year advanced surgical training programme at The Royal Veterinary College in London. After a brief stint in Lambourn, Ollie moved to Gloucestershire and helped to develop The B&W Equine Hospital. After 20 years there, he has moved up into the Cotswolds to join the team at Bourton Vale Equine Clinic. His main interests are in surgery and poor performance. He has published studies into treatments for suspensory disease, coffin joint arthroscopy and kissing spines. He has extensive experience of all types of surgery, particularly minimally invasive surgery, and fracture repair. Ollie holds the RCVS Certificate in Equine Surgery and is a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons. He is recognised as a European and RCVS specialist in Equine Surgery. He regularly speaks at national and international conferences and has lectured and operated in several European countries, USA, and Iran!

Outside work, Ollie is kept busy trying to convince his wife and daughter not to buy any more horses and operating an extensive taxi roster for both of his teenage children. Just occasionally, he gets to enjoy cycling and open water swimming.

Richard Hepburn - BVSc, MS(Hons), CertEM(IntMed), DipACVIM, FRCVS, ABVS & RCVS, Recognised Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine

After graduating from Liverpool Vet School in 1997, Dicky worked in equine hospitals in the UK and New Zealand for 4 years doing a combination of sport horse and racehorse work. He then completed a 3 year combined internal medicine residency and Master’s programme at The Marion duPont Equine Medical Centre in Virginia, USA.

Dicky was the first diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine to go into private equine practice in the UK and is recognised by the RCVS as a specialist in equine internal medicine. Since 2004, he has worked at the B&W Equine Hospital, a 40-vet equine practice in southwest England, which has been part of the CVS Group since 2017.

Dicky is a member of the ECEIM EGUS consensus committee, has been chair of the ACIVM specialty exam committee, advanced continuing education committee and a member of the ACVIM Board of Regents. He is also a contributing author to the textbook of Equine Neurology and the textbook of Equine Back and Neck Pathology.

Dicky has been a FEI treating vet at 5* Badminton Horse Trials for over 10 years and at the London International Horse Show, Olympia, Royal Windsor Horse Show, and was an onsite medicine specialist at the 2012 London Olympic Games. In 2018, he was awarded Fellowship of the RCVS for meritorious contribution to clinical practice.