The Team

After graduating, Verena completed an internship in a busy Australian Equine Hospital, working alongside specialist equine surgeons with a caseload focused on elite racehorses. After a couple of years back in the UK in equine practice, Verena returned to Australia to provide veterinary care to the clients of the Australian Dressage and Paralympic Team vet during the 2012 Olympics. Verena has since worked at the University of Cambridge Equine Hospital, and been responsible for teaching Nottingham undergraduate rotation students, in between many years providing ambulatory veterinary care to all types of horses.

In 2014 Verena was awarded the RCVS Certificate in Advanced Equine Practice and in 2015 was among the first vets to become recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as an Advanced Practitioner in Equine Practice. In both 2016 & 2017 she was nominated for equine vet of the year!

Verena has a particular interest in equine behaviour – both in helping horses with needle/vet phobias, and in resolving behaviour problems. One of the most rewarding parts of her work is changing a horse that has previously been afraid of and reactive about veterinary procedures to accept, or even be enthusiastic about vets, needles, wormers and other previously frightening stimuli using highly motivating, scientifically-based training concepts.

Verena has two horses, and enjoys training Parsnip her PRE in the Academic Art of Riding, which she thinks of as the equine equivalent of her other life-long hobby – ballet dancing. Her biggest passion in life is her samoyed dogs. Billie was at her side until October 2024 when she left very big paw prints to be filled by small Polar.

Nicola Jolly is delighted to have joined NFEV, as our in-house Equine Behaviourist and Assistant for procedures such as X-rays and gastroscopy. She is highly compassionate and supportive, with an exceptional understanding of horses and donkeys.

Nicola supported the Practice in the early days, before gaining her Master’s in Clinical Animal Behaviour with European Specialists in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine, such as Daniel Mills and Helen Zulch at the University of Lincoln. She then went on to become the first Equine Behaviourist for the Donkey Sanctuary, Ireland and now Lectures in Animal Behaviour at a University Centre alongside her work with NFEV.

Together we can unravel complex behaviour cases, disentangling pain/illness and learning or emotional components. Working together enables us to target efforts, make informed decisions on how far to investigate medical aspects and offer new and emerging treatments such as psychopharmaceutical medications for some cases.

Lindsey started with the practice in January 2019 as a part-time administrative assistant to the team. She is office-based, working Mondays and, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Lindsey has a background caring for many types of animals, including her daughter’s horses, but has a particular love for all things fluffy and feathery. She has a great passion for, and has studied, animal welfare and behaviour, and has been a school volunteer for the British Hen Welfare Trust. She has had a long career in office management and customer service with airlines, hospitals and, previously to veterinary practice, an international charity concentrating on workers’ rights around the world. Lindsey deals with invoicing, account management and insurance, as well as HR and other business admin. She always loves to hear from clients and is happy to help with any queries.

When she is not working, she enjoys walking in the countryside, visiting National Trust properties and spending time with her grandson. Lindsey is also always trying to persuade her husband to let her rescue more ex-commercial chickens!