Veterinary Technicians

Morgan Taniwha

Lead Hospital Technician

Morgan was born in New Zealand and came to the United States with her family when she was 8 years old. Being introduced to horses at a local barn when she was young is where her passion for horses first started. Morgan has many years of hands-on equine experience from her time as a horse owner and competitive junior/amateur rider as well as her professional career working as a head FEI groom.  

Morgan has been fortunate enough to travel all over the US & Canada with top riders and horses. One of her greatest accomplishments was winning the groom's award at the Splitrock Jumping Tour Horse show.

Morgan looks forward to being back in the northeast and being by family and friends.  She is so excited to join the FEA team.

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Carmineia Oliveira

Hospital Technician

Carmineia is originally from Brazil where she grew up on a farm with many different animals, horses, and mules.  Carmie (as she is known to us) previously worked in a top hunter/jumper barn before joining us in 2004. 

Her attention to detail, care and compassion to the patient is unsurpassed and consistently noticed.  In the warmer months she can frequently be seen hand grazing a horse, tending to the flowers, or sending a patient home looking better than they arrived. 

When not caring for the patients in the hospital, Carmineia enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters, relaxing with a good tv program and hopes to again travel home to Brazil to visit family and friends.

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Traci Barry, BS, CVT, RSO

Lead Imaging Technician & Laboratory Technician

Growing up in Massachusetts competitively riding hunters and jumpers was the beginning of Traci’s involvement in the equine industry. 

Graduating Magna Cum Laude from Mt. Ida College with a bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology she has worked at Tufts University and Palm Beach Equine Clinic ultimately ending at Fairfield Equine where she has been since 1999. 

While heading up the Laboratory and Imaging Departments she can also be seen helping throughout all areas of the facility.  Traci has a special interest in imaging and quality patient care and enjoys teaching equine labs to local veterinary technician college students. 

During her time away from the clinic she can be found taking picture of her orange trio of kitties, boating and gardening in the summer season, and enhancing her culinary skills.

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Lorraine Farrell

Imaging Technician

Growing up in Ireland, horses were always part of the lifestyle. Lorraine learned to ride on various ponies and horses which they had at home, or at her cousin's farm. Lorraine always knew horses would be part of her life once school was complete.

Lorraine began working as a groom for a professional showjumper as soon as she was finished with her education. She spent a number of years traveling all over the world, as a head groom/barn manager, caring for horses at home and at shows from youngsters to FEI 5* Level. In 2006 Lorraine moved to the USA to continue her career, traveling from Wellington to Spruce Meadows, and everywhere in between, gaining invaluable knowledge every step of the way.

While working at top level barns she became interested in learning more about issues that appear, not just in competition horses, but all levels of horses, and joining the team at Fairfield Equine was a natural progression.

Outside of work Lorraine loves weekends away exploring, and enjoys walking and hiking, when the weather is favorable.

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Elyse Scott

Lead Ambulatory Technician & Anesthesia Technician

Elyse grew up outside of Albany, New York where her passion for horses started at a young age while competing locally in both English and western disciplines from the age of 7. As a young enthusiastic rider, she would be found riding and learning on any horse available until she owned her first horse "Rose" in high school.

Elyse attended Morrisville State College and earned a bachelor's degree in Equine Science with a specialization in equine rehabilitation and therapy. In college she competed successfully on the IHSA western team. After Morrisville, Elyse moved to Lexington, KY for a few years where she worked as an ICU technician for RREH gaining invaluable experience and knowledge in the veterinary field. Additionally, Elyse is earning her veterinary technician degree through Penn Foster College to become a licensed technician.

The opportunity to join Fairfield Equine presented in 2022, and Elyse made the move back to the northeast to become a technician for Dr. Johnson. My favorite cases to work with are critical care patients.

In her free time Elyse enjoys trying to keep her house plants alive, hiking the northeast with her dog "Lulu", baking to fulfill her sweet-tooth, and exploring new places with family and friends.

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Allison Hamilton

CT Ambulatory Technician

Allison grew up in Southbury and was brought into the horse world by family members at a young age. Allison started consistently riding when she was 7 years old, and as a teenager she was introduced to eventing.

Allison now competes a couple times a year and goes on various adventures with her horse including beach trips and trails throughout CT.

Allison has always had a great interest in veterinary care and now really enjoys handling emergency cases on the road.

When Allison is not riding or at the barn with her horse, Benjamin, she enjoys hiking and gardening.

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Sonja Heller

CT Ambulatory Tech

Sonja grew up in Oxford, Connecticut. Her love for horses started at 4 years old when her dad took her for her first pony ride. Since then, Sonja always knew horses were going to be a part of her life. Sonja has ridden and worked at an eventing barn for most of her equine career which helped grow her passion for helping horses.

Sonja went to Nonnewaug High School with a focus in horse management. She also competed at the national level on their horse judging team as well as their dairy judging team.

When she’s not working, she can be found on the family beef cattle farm with her husband or in the barn tending to my 2 horses with her daughter Aada right by her side.

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Alessandria Rideout

CT Ambulatory Technician

Alessandria grew up in Massachusetts. Her siblings had horses, and she got involved with them when her sister rescued a horse. Alessandria started by helping them at the farm and riding one of her sisters' horses. Eventually she started focusing on dressage, joining the UMass Dressage team during undergrad as well as lessoning on the side. Alessandria had project horses throughout her time in school that she would work with as well, that belonged to the university. She attended UMass to study Equine science and was the assistant manager of their farm and worked with the UMPD horses that were boarded there (alongside the normal horses they had, such as the Bay State Morgans which they bred). Alessandria focused on reproduction throughout school and helped with ongoing research at UMass involving our horses. She also studied rehabilitation. Outside of work, Alessandria enjoys video and board games, watching hockey, and walking in the woods.

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Rachel Stockslager

CT & FL Ambulatory Technician

 

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Clarisse Stradtman

CT Ambulatory Technician

 

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Taylor Wilkes

CT Ambulatory Tech

Taylor grew up in Bethlehem Connecticut and throughout her life her grandmother was a full-time horse trainer. That’s where her passion for horses began.

Taylor always rode as much as she could outside of work and school. Other than horses, Taylor also has a strong passion for dairy cattle. She attended SUNY Cobleskill in dairy management and production.

After graduating Taylor worked at a large dairy cattle farm and from there was a small animal veterinary technician.

During her spare time Taylor love spending time with her boyfriend, friends, family and exploring new hiking spots with her dog.

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Jen Laros

Lead Therapy Tech

Growing up in PA, Jen credits her parents for encouraging her love of horses, and showing in the hunters and jumpers. Graduating from Lake Erie College with a degree in Equine Studies, her first job brought her to CT. Here she was introduced to the worlds of eventing and foxhunting, now her riding passions. Her previous work includes barn management, as well as educational positions in the zoo and aquarium fields. 

Since joining FEA in 2006, Jen has worked in the hospital as a technician, and as an ambulatory technician in both our CT and FL locations. This exposure to the growing need for equine therapies on the farm and at the horse shows helped Jen develop our Therapy Dept into FT positions in both locations.

When not traveling to area barns to use one or more of our therapy modalities, Jen enjoys her horses, both in work and retired, gardening and spending time at the ocean with her husband and their Labradors.

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Maggie Mulligan

FL Therapy Technician

Maggie is originally from Southern California where she played beach volleyball and sailed before getting involved with show jumping. 

Maggie originally came back East with a Fairfield alum “For the Moment” aka Fred ridden by Lisa Jacquin. 

After three Olympic Games, numerous tours of Europe and World Cups she decided to slow down and enjoy the therapeutic life of helping equine friends. 

When Maggie is not working on helping the horses, she enjoys days on the beach with her three red Australian Shepherds.

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