Meet Our Doctors
Dr. Kelsey Richards, DVM
Dr. Kelsey Richards grew up in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, in a small town called El Jebel. She spent most of her childhood participating in horse and rodeo 4H. During high school and college, Kelsey was the lead wrangler on a dude ranch in De Beque, CO.
She followed her passion for horses to Colorado State University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Equine Science, with an emphasis in reproduction.
She stayed at CSU for veterinary school, during which time she served on her class executive board and as the secretary for the university’s chapter of the American Society of Animal Behavior.
After graduating Magna Cum Laude from CSU, Dr. Richards did a year of advanced training with our partners at Montana Equine Medical and Surgical Center, where they liked her so much, they kept her!
Dr. Richards came down to Sawtooth Equine for a temporary stint in 2022, but fell in love with the practice, the valley and the horses of Idaho. She became a permanent associate that fall and has never looked back.
In her free time, Kelsey loves working with her horses, camping, reading, photography and spending time outside.
She takes pride in using low stress veterinary techniques and strives to provide a productive and positive experience to horses. Her special interests include herd health, general wellness & dentistry, internal medicine/endocrinology, lameness and reproduction.
Dr. Annie Oakes, DVM
Dr. Annie Oakes hails from the hometown of Saratoga Springs, NY and was greatly influenced by its vibrant horse culture and racetrack. She graduated with her DVM degree from the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Starting her career in Bozeman, Montana at Montana Equine, Dr. Oakes has completed extensive post-graduate training in equine referral centers across the country. As a result of practicing in Montana, Indiana, Tennessee, and Lexington, Kentucky she is fortunate to have learned from a variety of people and horses along the way. She is thrilled to be returning to the group, and to now call the Wood River Valley home.
Dr. Oakes is residency trained in Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, is a Certified Equine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CERP) and Hallmarq Standing MRI certified operator. She takes special interest in performance medicine, imaging, and rehabilitation. She also finds geriatric and general medicine exceptionally rewarding, and enjoys getting to know her patients as they return to health following injury or illness.
In home life, she prefers outdoor hobbies, all the better with family, and when it’s wintertime in the mountains!
Dr. Benn Fraker, DVM
Dr. Fraker was first introduced to horses and the lifestyle that comes with large animals as a child on visits to his grandfather’s farm. This was also where he was introduced to horseshoeing and equine veterinary work. After several years of shoeing and being fortunate enough to find a mentor in the resident farrier at the University of Tennessee Veterinary School, it became clear that a veterinary degree was the best path to offering as much as possible to the horses he saw every day. Dr. Fraker was able to keep a book of horses through veterinary and found opportunities to attend farrier clinics and work with his mentors during and after school. Following school, he first practiced as a veterinarian in Lexington, Kentucky with a prestigious group, servicing some of the largest thoroughbred bloodstock farms in the bluegrass. His passion remained with shoeing. In pursuit of that passion, he joined a team of farriers. Day to day work in Kentucky involved anything from shoeing healthy race horses during race meets at Churchill Downs or Keeneland, to therapeutic work on broodmares, foals, race horses, and sport horses. After enjoying the opportunity to learn and work alongside some of the best farriers in the country, eventually the call of mountains was too much to ignore. Dr. Fraker could not be more excited to be pursuing his passions in this community.
George S. Martin, DVM
Diplomate American College of Veterinary Surgeons
Dr. Martin is a seasoned local veterinarian and board-certified large animal surgeon offering consultation, appointments and elective surgeries on a as-needed basis.
His clinical interests are in arthroscopy, general musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal surgery and respiratory problems. His research interests are in surgical solutions to orthopedic problems and causes of fetlock joint arthritis. He has more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in veterinary scientific journals. LSU holds a patent, for which Dr. Martin is the inventor, of a surgical implant for fetlock joint arthrodesis.
Read Dr. Martin's full bio
George S. Martin, DVM, Diplomate American College of Veterinary Surgeons
Dr. Martin is a 1977 graduate of the University of Illinois’ College of Veterinary Medicine. He interned at the Illinois Equine Hospital in Naperville, Illinois and then practiced for 2 years as a veterinarian for the Illinois Equine Field Service, which provided ambulatory care for horses in the western suburbs of Chicago. In 1980 he began a large animal surgical residency at Colorado State University. In 1983 after completing the residency, Dr. Martin joined the faculty of Louisiana State University. In 1986 he became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
At LSU, he was Service Chief of Equine Medicine and Surgery from 1996 to 2001. Dr. Martin also has a MS from CSU and a MBA from Tulane University. Dr. Martin is a member of the AAEP, the AVMA, the IVMA, and the Veterinary Orthopedic Society. His clinical interests are in arthroscopy, general musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal surgery and respiratory problems. His research interests are in surgical solutions to orthopedic problems and causes of fetlock joint arthritis. He has more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in veterinary scientific journals. LSU holds a patent, for which Dr. Martin is the inventor, on a surgical implant for fetlock joint arthrodesis.
COLLABORATION
Spinal Manipulation and Acupuncture
We are so happy to be working with Dr. Jaime Lefeldt and Dr. Sofia Santacaterina to continue to provide spinal manipulation and chiropractic services to your horses. Please call to get on the schedule!
Montana Equine Medical & Surgical Center
Equine Emergency Cooperative
We are happy to be working with other local veterinarians, Dr. Steve Fairbrother and Dr. Jennifer Card, to provide 24/7 emergency services for the equine patients we all currently serve. Please continue to call the clinic number on emergency and you will be directed to the doctor on call.
We are so happy to provide this service to ensure an emergency vet is always available to you, and do our part to attract and retain equine veterinarians in our local setting by improving their quality of life.
Support Staff
Kalsey Gaus
Veterinary Assistant
Amanda Torres
Veterinary Assistant
Meghan de Bruijn
Veterinary Assistant
Anny Tadlock
Office Administrator
Emeritus Veterinarians
Thank You For Your Years of Hard Work and Contributions to Sawtooth Equine!
Dr. Steve Edsall
Dr. Cara Wright
Dr. Jennifer Card
Dr. Erin Crawford
Dr. Sofia Santacaterina