Meet the veterinarians and team of the Piedmont Equine Practice in The Plains, Virginia. 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 every day.
Partner
Partner
Partner
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Partner and Specialist
Joe Davis
Partner
At the age of 6, Dr. Joe Davis sat 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 eventing. Dr. Davis is a local, graduating from Fauquier High School and then from 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 he has pursued extensive continuing education in the field of ultrasound imaging. He also achieved American Veterinary Chiropractic Association certification in chiropractic care 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 he strives to minimize any discomfort associated with veterinary procedures. His patients include international competitors, local show horses, foxhunters and trail horses.
During his personal time, Dr. Davis spends most of his time outside. He enjoys running, sailing, foxhunting, hiking, skiing, and fixing up his 200-year-old house and horse farm. His wife, Pam, is a 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. John 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 farriery. 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 cared 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, the Florida Association of Equine Practitioners, and the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology.
Dr. Nolan met his wife Renée in veterinary school. Renée practices medicine at the Small Animal Clinic at Piedmont. They have two sons, Sam and Abe, who are students at the University of Virginia. In his spare time, you might see Dr. Nolan 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 10. This and his love of science made the field of veterinary medicine a natural fit. During his time in veterinary school at Virginia Tech, he developed a deep appreciation for horses as highly intuitive and elite athletes.
After veterinary 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 the Smithsonian’s 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 treating veterinarian at numerous steeplechase races and three-day events as well as at 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. His practice centers on the diagnosis and treatment of lameness. 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 sons, Timothy and Erik. His hobbies include skiing, running, biking, fishing, gardening and growing orchids.
Sean Bowman
Partner
Dr. Sean 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 the Piedmont Equine Practice.
Dr. Bowman’s practice centers 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 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 over the renovations on his nineteenth-century farmhouse 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
Dr. Courtney Bolam, DVM, DVSc, DACVS-LA, 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, Florida. 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 spent 8½ years working for Wisconsin Equine Clinic & Hospital in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. 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 in the field and in-clinic, Dr. Bolam’s passion for emergency equine medicine and surgery is an important and integral part of who she is as a veterinarian. She has provided surgical care for the Piedmont Equine Clinic for a decade and became a partner in 2024. Outside of work, Dr. Bolam has revisited her enthusiasm for eventing in the last few years. She enjoys exploring Virginia, especially all the great outdoor activities that our beautiful state has to offer!