Meet The Team

Dr. Dryden grew up on a working cattle ranch in Southeast Arizona. His love for horses was identified early as he worked with his father and brothers on the family cattle operation. Dr. Dryden graduated at the top of his class from Oklahoma State Farrier School in 1998. Having received full academic scholarship to the University of Arizona, he graduated as the outstanding senior of the year in Veterinary Science and Microbiology. 

 

Dr. Dryden then attended Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He provided farrier services for the veterinary teaching hospital until graduation in 2007. That spring Vern accepted a one year internship at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in surgery and podiatry. He was then offered an Associate veterinary position and in 2013, became a partner of the hospital. In the fall of 2015 Vern decided it was time to start his own business where he could focus more time on each case, and concentrate on sport horse medicine.

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He and Cappy own, breed and show American Quarter Horses and serves as the show veterinarian at many NRHA shows. Vern is dedicated to the wellbeing of his patients, and his family.

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Dr. Dryden bases out of our Lexington, Kentucky location from late spring through late fall. In the winter months he is based out of our Wellington, Florida location. Dr. Dryden is licensed in 10 states.  

Cappy had a very successful career in the hunter and jumper industry as a junior and an amateur from 1987 until 2014. She traveled on the international jumper circuit for many years. As a jumper rider she competed in several Grand Prixs and as a hunter rider she competed successfully in the International Derby competitions on her amateur owner hunters.

 

In 2014 her passion for the western world increased and she began concentrating solely on her reining competition and reining breeding business while traveling the reining circuit.

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Cappy began working as a veterinary technician at Maryland Equine Center while completing her BBA from Loyola University Maryland, majoring in International Business Management.

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Nicole joined us in July 2019. She has grown up in the equine industry. Her father was a farrier and they owned race horses. She spent 18 years working at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute before joining the team at Bur Oak.

 Originally from Pennsylvania, she spent time in Canada before her and her family moved to Kentucky. She has a Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications. 

When she is not at work she enjoys spending time with her family and her two Aussie's Ruger and Remi. 

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Dr. Faria, a Brazilian native, attended Universidade de Uberaba with a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, with a focus on Sport Horse Lameness, she graduated in 2017. Dr. Faria moved to the US after practicing in Brazil for a year. When she arrived in the US, she began work at the world renowned equine rehabilitation center, KESMARC. Following that internship she worked for one of the industry's leading thoroughbred farms. In 2019 she began her career with Bur Oak as a Veterinary Technician for Dr. Dryden. In 2021 realized she really wanted to pursue practicing Veterinary Medicine in the US and began her studies through the AVMA's Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates, completing this process early in 2023. Upon completion of her US credentials she came back to Bur Oak. 

Now licensed in multiple states in the USA she is an associate of Bur Oak Sports Medicine & Lameness based in our Wellington, Florida location. Dr. Faria is available in Florida and Oklahoma.