Meet the Veterinarians & Team of the Piedmont Equine Practice in The Plains, VA. We’re pleased to provide exceptional care for your horses. At the heart of our practice lies a profound love for these animals and a commitment to their welfare that drives us each day.
Joe Davis
Partner
At the age of six, Dr. Davis was put up on his first horse and it seemed a natural place to stay. Horses have been a significant factor in his life ever since, both professionally and personally as a rider and competitor in dressage and combined training. Dr. Davis is a local, graduating from Fauquier High School and then from The College of William and Mary (with a major in English) followed by veterinary school at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Davis joined Piedmont Equine in 1997.
Dr. Davis has a special interest in performance horse medicine, lameness, anatomy and medical imaging, and has pursued extensive continuing education in the field of ultrasound imaging. He also achieved certification in chiropractic care by the AVCA in 2001. He feels that horses at any level of performance are remarkable in their willingness to give total effort just because we ask, and thus makes an effort to minimize the discomfort associated with veterinary procedures. His patients include international competitors, local show horses, fox hunters and trail horses.
During his personal time, Dr. Davis spends most of his time outside; running, sailing, fox hunting, hiking, skiing, and fixing up his 200-year-old house and horse farm. His wife, Pam is a small animal veterinarian at Piedmont Small Animal. They have two daughters, Hayley and Kristina. Dr. Davis is the medical editor of The Chronicle of the Horse.
John Nolan
Partner
Dr. Nolan grew up in northern Virginia. His love of horses began as a teenager when he purchased his first horse to train and compete in endurance and competitive trail rides. As a high school student, he became interested in a career in Farriery. After high school, he attended the North Texas Horseshoeing Institute and was a practicing farrier for over nine years before starting his career in veterinary medicine. Dr. Nolan earned his doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the Virginia – Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. His career in equine practice began with an internship at an equine referral center, Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center, in Los Olivos, California. There, he trained with specialists in the fields of lameness, diagnostic imaging, surgery and internal medicine. He went on to work at the Delaware Equine Center in Cochranville, Pennsylvania. He founded The Piedmont Equine Practice, Inc. in 1996.
Dr. Nolan has been caring for international and national level equine athletes for over 25 years. His areas of special interest include sports medicine, lameness, diagnostic imaging and chiropractic medicine. In 1998, he became certified in Veterinary Chiropractic Medicine through the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association. He has been an active member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, Florida Association of Equine Practitioners, and the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology.
John met his wife Renée in Veterinary school. Renée practices small animal medicine at The Small Animal Clinic at Piedmont. They have two sons, Sam and Abe who are both students at the University of Virginia. In his spare time, you might see him cycling on the back roads of our practice area, our little piece of heaven.
Paul Anikis
Partner
Dr. Paul Anikis grew up in Howard County, Maryland with an affinity for animals of all kinds, starting with falconry at the age of ten. This and his love of science made the field of veterinary medicine a natural fit. During his time in vet school at Virginia Tech, he developed a deep appreciation for horses as highly intuitive and elite athletes.
After vet school, Dr. Anikis worked in a mixed large animal practice in Loudoun County, Virginia for several years. While there he expanded his understanding of hoof problems and laminitis and learned to shoe horses. He also became a large animal consultant to the Washington National Zoo in 1996, where he assists and advises in the treatment of elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffe, lesser kudu, and zebra. He has served as a treatment veterinarian at numerous steeplechase races and 3-day events as well as the 2005 FEI World Cup Final for dressage. He is also a veterinary advisor on the safety committee of the National Steeplechasing Association. Dr. Anikis joined Piedmont Equine as a partner in 2000 where his practice centers on the diagnosis and treatment of lameness problems in horses. He works with clients in Northern Virginia, Europe, and Florida.
Dr. Anikis lives in Delaplane, Virginia with his wife, Doerte, a veterinarian and accomplished rider, and their two sons, Timothy and Erik. His hobbies include skiing, running, biking, fishing, gardening, and growing orchids.
Sean Bowman
Partner
Dr. Bowman was born and raised in Loudoun County, Virginia. The opportunity to return home was a big factor in Dr. Bowman’s decision to start a solo practice after graduation from the Virginia - Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995. In 1998 he merged with Piedmont Equine Practice.
Today as a part of PEP Dr. Bowman has a practice that is centered around sports medicine. He spends most of his time with show horses and event horses but enjoys helping all owners enjoy their horses more. No matter what sport you compete in he will use a combination of modern medicine and acupuncture to keep your horse sound for the next competition always with the goal of a long healthy career.
If he won the lottery Dr. Bowman would still work, because he truly loves equine medicine. However, he would turn the renovations on his nineteenth-century farmhouse over to someone else, leaving himself more free time to train bird dogs, fish with his son Ian, and hike with his wife Jean.
Courtney Bolam
Partner and Specialist
Courtney Bolam, DVM, DVSc, DACVS-LA has joined Piedmont Equine Practice to provide regular in-hospital elective and emergency /surgical care.
Dr. Bolam grew up in London, Ontario, Canada, and from a very early age was horse crazy!! She began riding at the age of 5, initially taking dressage lessons, then joining Pony Club and eventually exploring some lower-level eventing during her high school years. Dr. Bolam attended veterinary school at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario before completing a rotating, hospital internship at Peterson and Smith Equine Hospital in Ocala, FL. She then returned to the Ontario Veterinary College for a large animal surgical residency; in 2006 she became board-certified in large animal surgery. Dr. Bolam has spent the last 8 ½ years working for Wisconsin Equine Clinic & Hospital in Oconomowoc, WI. There she provided elective and emergency medical and surgical care, as well as attending to routine wellness and sports medicine cases. While she has always enjoyed working both in the field and in-clinic, her passion for emergency equine medicine and surgery is an important and integral part of who she is as a veterinarian, making her a great fit for this position. Dr. Bolam is very excited to be joining Piedmont Equine Practice to provide emergency equine veterinary care. Outside of work, Courtney has revisited her enthusiasm for eventing in the last few years, something she looks forward to continuing here!! She is excited to explore Virginia, especially all the great outdoor activities that our beautiful state has to offer!! Please welcome Dr. Courtney Bolam to the Piedmont Equine Practice team!!