Equine Staff

Equine Veterinarians

Martin G. Crabo, DVM

Co-Owner of Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center
Equine Sports Medicine
Equine General Practice

Dr. Crabo joined Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center in 1991. He graduated from the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1990 and subsequently completed an internship in Large Animal Medicine & Surgery at Washington State University. Dr. Crabo has been involved in breeding and developing Three Day Eventing horses with his family for the last twenty plus years. He continues to follow and support his daughter, Jordan, in her pursuit of a riding career. You will see them at horse shows throughout the West Coast and the entire country. Besides enjoying horse shows in his time off, Dr. Crabo is an avid skier, mountain biker and enjoys playing ice hockey, travel and the ocean. Professionally, Dr. Crabo's interests include equine sports medicine, lameness, and imaging as well general equine practice. He strives for an in-depth knowledge of equine ultrasound and anatomy through his membership in ISELP, the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology.

C. Renee Andrea, DVM, DACVS

Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Large Animal)
Co-Owner of Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center
Equine Surgeon
Equine Sports Medicine

Dr. Andrea was born and raised in the state of Washington where she held her first job cleaning kennels at the Gig Harbor Veterinary Hospital. She obtained her Associates Degree in Animal Health Technology and worked her way through college as a Certified Veterinary Technician. She then attended Washington State University where she graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science in 1990, and her DVM, with honors, in 1994. Dr. Andrea came to Arizona to complete an internship at Arizona Equine and thereafter, completed a residency in equine surgery at the University of California, Davis. She earned her Diplomate status as a Board Certified Equine Surgeon in 1999. Dr. Andrea joined Chaparral as an equine surgeon in 2001 and became a partner in the practice in 2003. She was grateful to help build the referral and surgical portion of the practice and the transition into Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center in 2008 was a dream come true. She has enjoyed growing with the practice over the years and continues to be a huge part of the Chaparral team.
Dr. Andrea has published research in equine orthopedics, as well as soft tissue reconstructive surgery. She specializes in all areas of lameness, sports medicine, and surgical conditions of the horse. Training in the southwest solidified her love of the acute abdomen (surgical colic), but her true passion is orthopedic and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Andrea brings a unique perspective to diagnosing and treating conditions of the equine athlete, being a barrel racer herself and having years of experience working on horses from all disciplines with performance-limiting lameness issues. She strives to provide the most cutting edge treatment modalities to her patients, staying current with advances in regenerative medicine and combining these treatments with surgical therapy when needed.
Dr. Andrea and her family (husband Mike Freeland, and sons Canon and Shea) currently have 9 horses that complete their rodeo team. When not making a run herself, she is keeping the rope horses working.

Elyse Durket, DVM, DACVS

Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Large Animal)
Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine interest

Dr. Durket is originally from Ohio where she had her first job working with small animals and shadowed an ambulatory veterinarian as a high schooler. She went off to Miami University and got a bachelors degree in zoology. She also met her husband and became a “Miami merger.” After undergrad, she achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a true Buckeye. She graduated veterinary school from The Ohio State University. She came to Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center and discovered her love and passion for equine surgery during her internship. She then pursued further training at the University of Florida with an internship in surgery and sports medicine. After her year in Florida, she returned to the Midwest to complete a surgical residency at Iowa State University. She has a passion for lameness, sports medicine and colic surgery. She has published research in both orthopedics and post-operative colic management. Dr. Durket has a passion for horses and aspires to have a horse of her own soon; in the meantime, she is currently exploring which discipline is her favorite. She also may be a low- key crazy cat lady.

Jillian Minuto, DVM, DACVIM

Equine Internal Medicine

Dr. Minuto was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, where she rode recreationally before becoming active in 4H. She completed her undergraduate degree in animal science at the University of Vermont before graduating from the Ohio State University for veterinary school in 2018. Dr. Minuto completed a rotating internship at Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center in New Jersey, focusing on internal medicine, surgery, anesthesia, and ambulatory practice. She then completed a residency in large animal internal medicine at Tufts University in Grafton, MA. Dr. Minuto's clinical interests include medical causes of poor performance, neurological disease, neonatology, and emergency and critical care. She has completed extensive research looking for novel treatments of Equine Asthma. Outside of the office, Dr. Minuto enjoys spending time outdoors - skiing, mountain biking, and paddle boarding.

Cierra J. Geyer, DVM

Equine General Practice

Dr. Geyer is a born and raised Arizonan. She grew up around western performance horses and that’s what drew her into equine medicine. She earned a Bachelor of Science majoring in Veterinary Science at the University of Arizona in 2018 then received her DVM from Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022. After veterinary school, she completed a 1-year equine internship in Weatherford, TX working with reined cows and cutting horses predominantly. She’s excited to be back home in the desert and to begin serving the equine community. Her special interests include sports medicine and reproduction. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, scuba diving, baking, and riding her own horses.

Gabrielle Gonzalez, DVM

Equine General Practice

Dr. Gabrielle Gonzalez was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She grew up riding in both English and Western disciplines and spent many years competing in show jumping. After earning her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2021, she completed an equine rotating internship at Arizona Equine Medical and Surgical Centre before continuing her training at the University of Missouri, where she completed a residency in Large Animal Internal Medicine with an emphasis in equine medicine.

Dr. Gonzalez enjoys the full spectrum of equine medicine and has a particular interest in combining advanced diagnostics and medical problem-solving with practical, individualized care in the field. Neonatal medicine holds a special place in her heart and foaling season is easily her favorite time of year.

Outside of work, Dr. Gonzalez enjoys traveling, ocean activities, and spending quality time with her family, friends, and pets. She has a particular weakness for Friesians, although she is more than happy to admit that she loves pretty much every horse that she sees.

Kerry McCarthy, DVM

Equine General Practice

I was born and raised on the west coast in Oregon. I started showing horses at a young age, initially with hunter jumpers then transitioning to the all-around performance horse world showing both AQHA and APHA through middle and high school. In my first year of college, I decided to switch things up and started riding and showing reining and cow horses. I instantly felt at home with the reining industry and continued to ride and show through all of college and continue to do so today.

I earned my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Oregon State University. Post graduation I worked at the 6666 Ranch in Texas where I combined my love for the western performance horse and veterinary medicine. There I focused mainly on sports medicine and reproduction which have always been, and will continue to be my passions. I also enjoy general medicine, dentistry, and endoscopy procedures.

I take pride in the quality of my work and am always striving for more opportunities to learn new techniques or continue to perfect the skills I already have. My hobbies outside of work and horse showing include hiking, fishing, and spending time with family and friends.

Kayla Kownurko, DVM

Equine Surgeon

Dr. Kayla Kownurko grew up outside of Philadelphia, riding and working with hunt seat horses. She continued riding as a member of her college equestrian team, and attended veterinary school in Philadelphia, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine with honors in 2021.

Following veterinary school, Dr. Kownurko completed a one year private practice equine internship at a Rhinebeck Equine, followed by an academic large animal internship at the University of Georgia.

In July 2026, she completed an equine surgery residency at the Ohio State University, where she developed a strong foundation in, and a particular passion for elective soft tissue surgery and emergency and critical care. During her residency, she received an award for her research on abdominal lactate in postoperative colic patients.

Her favorite part of her job is getting to see her critical patients recover and return to doing what they love.

She couldn’t be more excited to join the Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center family!

Sophia Bookas, DVM

EQUINE INTERN

Dr. Bookas is from Southport, Connecticut, and attended Gettysburg College. She has a dog named Drako, a Kuwaiti Village Dog.
Her interests outside of veterinary medicine include running, cycling, swimming, hiking, and horseback riding. Sophia's favorite part of her job is caring for horses and the many other animals that come her way.

A fun fact about Sophia is that she completed her first marathon during veterinary school and hopes to continue running despite the Arizona heat!

ALEXA RHYMES, DVM

EQUINE INTERN

Alexa was born in Long Island, New York, and earned her veterinary degree from The Royal Veterinary College in London, England. Before attending veterinary school, she proudly served as a veterinary technician in the U.S. Army for four years while completing her undergraduate degree in Biology. Following her military service, she spent two years working as an overnight technician in small animal emergency and urgent care.

Alexa has a strong passion for surgery and neonatal medicine, and after completing her internship with us, she plans to pursue a surgical residency.

Outside of the hospital, Alexa is married to her husband, Cody, who is studying Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University. Together they have two adventurous dogs, Beaux and Zoey, who have become world travelers alongside them.
We're excited to have Alexa as part of our team and look forward to the knowledge, dedication, and compassion she brings to our patients and clients.

Practice Managers

Brooke Taranton

Practice Manager – Hospital Clinical Operations
Inventory Manager

Originally from San Diego, Brooke is a veteran member of the Chaparral team and has been with us since October 2008. Brooke is our Practice Manager - Hospital Clinical Operations. She also manages our pharmacy and inventory. Her love of horses began at the age of 3 and she has made horses her life. In her work life, she most enjoys the challenges of organizing the workflow and helping where needed-she can always figure out a way to help. She loves to ride and enjoys the comic relief of her donkey, Amos. She also has a soft heart for dogs. She is very involved with agility with her dogs Nash and Levi. Like Amos, Gus is also around for comic relief. Needless to say furry creatures have stolen her heart.

Krista Dupree

Practice Manager – Hospital Administrator

Krista is an Arizona Native with a passion for horses for as long as she can remember.  Krista has been with Chaparral since 2011.  She has been very busy as Dr. Andrea’s tech, teaching anesthesia and Imaging. Now she is the Practice Manager in charge of the Administration of our hospital.  She is married, has a little girl named Ellika who is as cute as a button and has inherited her love for horses.  She has two dogs, Oswald and Red. She enjoys riding and spending time with family and friends.

J Brent Rollins, DVM Emeritus

Dr. Rollins originally founded Chaparral in 1971 and retired at the end of 2012 after 45 years as an active practicing veterinarian. He is a 1967 graduate of Colorado State University where he received his DVM. He grew up in Phoenix, attending Osborn grade school, Washington High School and Arizona State University. His interest in horses came from his dad's Thoroughbred Racing Business (started on the end of a pitchfork and ended up with a trainer's license before Vet School).

After receiving his DVM, he served for three years as a captain in the US Army in Fort Detrick, MD. After the service, Dr. Rollins completed an Equine Internship at the University of California, Davis, Veterinary Teaching Hospital. In July 1971, he entered private equine practice in North Phoenix.
Dr. Rollins feels his greatest accomplishment is his family. Brent and Francie have been married since June 1st, 1963. They have five children and 25 grandchildren (at last count) and his days of retirement were spent keeping up with all their activities.

Dr. Rollins will be missed and forever memorialized as a part of our team at Chaparral. He passed away on January 27, 2018 surrounded by his loved ones.

Equine Technicians

Taylor Bunning

Sr. Barn Technician
Equine Anesthesia Technician
Advanced Imaging

Taylor is originally from San Diego, CA. She moved to Scottsdale when she was 3. She followed in her older sisters’ footsteps and fell in love with horses. Now she is a single mom to Tucker her son, they both lived in Melbourne, Australia for 2 years while she attended Swinburne University of Technology where she earned her Certificate in Early Childhood Education. She worked in that area for 5 years and had to follow her heart back to her love of horses.

Lauren Rosendahl

Sr. Technician - Internal Medicine
Equipment Specialist
Anesthesia Technician

Lauren was originally born in Washington, D.C. but has been in Arizona for 16 years. She has studied both political science at NAU and biology at ASU. Her children are her animals, lol, who include her horse Cash and her dogs Stella and Hellie. Lauren enjoys rock climbing and kayaking when she isn't helping to save horses' lives.

Kenzie Smalls

Sr. Barn Technician
Technician

Kenzie was born in Seattle, Washington. She has lived in Arizona for about 8 years. She has attended Scottsdale Community College and studied Equine Science. She has a dog named Gohan. She enjoys comics, likes to hike and enjoys drawing. She enjoys helping with emergencies that come into the hospital. She enjoyed working on a dude ranch in South Phoenix for 4 years when she first moved to Arizona.

Tatum Cook

Equine Technician

Tatum’s favorite part of the job is aiding in various lameness exams and sports medicine. She also enjoys admiring all the performance horses, especially the Quarter Horses. In her free time, Tatum enjoys going to barrel races, spending time with her friends and family, and growing her PEMF business, Saguaro Performance Therapy. She has 2 horses named Martini and Rosie, and a dog named Dally

Milton Arvizu

Equine Technician

Milton is currently attending Scottsdale Community College studying Equine Science. He was born here in Phoenix and has lived here his whole life. He currently has 7 horses, 1 dog and 7 tortoises, in his spare time he enjoys Quarter Horse Racing and football.

Yazmeen Hernandez

Equine Technician

Yaz has lived here in Phoenix her whole life. She obtained a bachelor’s in justice studies from Grand Canyon University. She has a soft heart for our furry friend, she has 5 dogs, a horse and 3 chickens! Yaz enjoys working with performance horses and the western industry. We are so happy to have her on our team!

Katelynn Gaunt

Equine Technician

Katelynn was born in Mesa, Arizona and has lived here her whole life. She is studying Equine Science at Scottsdale Community College while working full-time. She has 3 cats and a dog. In her free time, she enjoys concerts, volunteering at horse shows and arts and crafts. She is an welcome addition to our Maintenance team.

Mykenah Valenzuela

Ambulatory Technician

Mykenah was born in Arizona and has 1 horse and 3 dogs. She enjoys show jumping and hacks on her horse Birdie. Her favorite part of her job is being able to work with animals. She was a competitive cheerleader for 7 years and she is a legal midget (4’11”)!

Administration/Support

Holly Taranton

Office Manager

Holly is a pivotal part of the Chaparral team as a practice representative and master of many things. She has a long history of administrative work in the legal, real estate development, construction and shopping center management industries and has always had a love of animals. She started off her oldest daughter at the age of 3 riding horses and her love of horses continued with her other 2 daughters. She now enjoys spending time with her husband, 3 grown daughters, her grandson and their many rescue dogs and horses. She, her husband, middle daughter, and grandson recently moved back to the United States from living in Melbourne, Australia.

Cassidy Moughalian

Customer Service Representative

Cassidy has lived in Arizona her entire life. She is newly married. Has a bachelor’s degree in family and human development from Arizona State University. When she isn’t delighting our clients with her big smile and helpful demeanor on the phone or in person at the front desk, she is spending quality time with her husband, three horses, two coonhounds, and 4 mini poodles. Her hobbies include her horses and she is an avid reader.

Alexander Cota

Customer Service Representative

Alexander was born and raised in Arizona. He attended cosmetology school, where he studied being a color specialist he also attended Scottsdale Community College where he studied Equine Science. He has an Egyptian Arabian named Misk and 4 cats. He loves interacting with the people and meeting all the horses and small animals that come in, especially the cats. Alexander also loves to travel the state grooming horses.

Robyn Lou Reed 

Pharmacy Assistant

Robyn was born in Findlay, Ohio, she has lived in Arizona since 1990. She has an 11-year-old daughter, Audrey, two dogs Branch & Pearl and two cats Caterina and Smokey. Some of Robyn’s interests include cooking, antiquing and Arabian horses. Robyn may be a familiar face to you as she has worked here on four different occasions and tries to leave but always comes back!

Merle Black

Bookkeeper

Merle recently came to Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center as our new bookkeeper. She recently moved to Arizona from Southern California after many years working in the non-profit sector. The need to assist our fellow man and four-legged friends never leaves our heart, which makes Chaparral a perfect fit for her.

Suzan Rockvam

Accounts Receivable Specialist

Suzan is originally from central California, but she has lived in the Scottsdale area for decades. She has always had a passion for animals and raised poodles and Lhasa Apsos in the past. She satisfied her equine passion by completing the Equine Science program at Scottsdale Community College resulting in a degree in Equine Science. Suzan spent many years as the office manager at Southwest Equine Hospital in Scottsdale. She was also employed in administrative positions in retail, real estate, health care and she now has returned to the veterinary world. She is the proud owner of 2 rescue dogs: Sally (a jet-black corgi mix,) & Sunny (a buff cockapoo mix.) Her many hobbies include fitness, music, and travel, but she spends most of her time enjoying her home and teenage son, Robert.

Terry Delaney

Facilities Manager

Terry recently moved from Michigan where he spent the last 15 years managing an 80-acre private horse farm. We are happy to have him at Chaparral where he has become our go-to guy for all our maintenance needs!

Amy Goda

Facilities

Amy has been working with horses for better than 30 years in many different venues and has been fortunate to have traveled around the United States and the world. She started out working with and riding racehorses and her dream has always been to help care for horses. Amy also loves working with a passionate group of people who love what they do. She enjoys spending time with her wonderful daughter, Mae.

Consulting Veterinarians

Eye Care For Animals

Joanna Norman DVM, DACVO

Dr. Norman graduated from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College majoring in both Biology and Chemistry. Prior to veterinary school, she worked in a large equine clinical and research facility in Southern Pines, North Carolina, where she gained valuable experience in clinical research. She also externed at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and worked with a team of oncologists, researching squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. She then received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 2002 from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

After graduation, Dr. Norman completed a private practice rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery. For two years prior to beginning her residency she continued as a small animal and exotics general practitioner in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Norman joined Eye Care for Animals in 2005 and completed her three-year residency in veterinary and comparative ophthalmology. In 2008, she was named Eye Care for Animals’ Resident of the Year. She became board certified and achieved Diplomate status in 2009. Dr. Norman has published literature in both national and international journals of veterinary medicine. Her primary clinical interests are in the management of ocular disease in the horse and corneal and cataract surgery in all species.

North Fork Integrative Vet Care

Erin Crawford, DVM

Dr. Erin Crawford graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2000 with a degree in Biology and received her DVM from Colorado State University in 2006. During her college and vet school years, she worked for a dude ranch outfitter in Wyoming looking after their horses and mules and spending time on the trail. She also spent several winters driving draft teams at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson. Following graduation from CSU, she spent a year as an intern at Oakridge Equine Hospital in Edmond, Oklahoma. After her internship, Dr. Crawford joined Sawtooth Equine Service, a primary care clinic that also served as a secondary referral facility, in Sun Valley Idaho. Dr. Crawford completed the Acupuncture for Veterinarians course at CSU while in vet school and then pursued additional training for Chiropractic work. Dr. Crawford completed the training in Animal Chiropractic in 2017. She also completed and maintains her International Veterinary Chiropractic Association certification. Dr. Crawford strives to treat the whole horse, incorporating acupuncture and chiropractic along with cutting-edge and modern therapies. Her professional interests include general medicine, reproduction, general dentistry, and most things horse. When not at work, she is at home exploring the mountains of Sun Valley, Idaho with her husband on their horses with their small pack of mostly well-behaved dogs.

Eyeshine Veterinary

Zoe Reed, DVM, DACVO, MFA

Dr. Reed is one of less than five-hundred veterinary ophthalmologists certified by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology in the world. Dr. Reed recently opened Eyeshine Veterinary: Arizona’s only locally-owned, independent ophthalmology-only practice treating ‘anything with eyes’ in Phoenix. She treats small patients at Eyeshine and provides ophthalmology services for horses both at local equine hospitals and in-the-field. In addition to seeing patients, she has authored a number of journal articles and continues to participate in clinically-focused research. Dr. Reed attended UC Davis for her DVM degree and completed her comparative ophthalmology residency here in the Valley of the Sun. Experience working in various ophthalmology practices and multi-specialty veterinary hospitals in the western United States inspired Dr. Reed to start her own veterinary ophthalmology practice where she can create an environment focused on caring for animals and the people who love them.

Barrett Equine Podiatry Services

Brent Barrett DVM CJF

Dr. Barrett is a graduate of Colorado State University Veterinary School and a Certified Journeyman Farrier through the American Farrier's Association. His shoeing career began several years prior to vet school, which introduced him to his passion of equine podiatry. Following veterinary school, he spent several years working on the hunter jumper show horse circuit on the east coast specializing in lameness. In 2009, he turned his dream into reality and started Equine Podiatry Services in Ocala, Florida. His successful business is a combination of veterinary podiatry work and sports horse shoeing. Dr. Barrett spends his free time with his wife on their small farm playing with their dogs and horses. His Hobbies include cycling, fishing, snow skiing and cooking.

Equine Staff

Equine Veterinarians

Practice Managers

Equine Technicians

Administration/Support

Consulting Veterinarians

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