Leann Kuebelbeck, DVM, Diplomate ACVS
Surgeon and Practice Owner
Dr. Leann Kuebelbeck, board-certified surgeon, received her veterinary degree from Kansas State University and completed her internship and surgical residency at Peterson and Smith Equine Hospital in Ocala, Florida. She then came to Brandon, Florida to co-found Brandon Equine Medical Center, then known as Surgi-Care Center for Horses, in 1995. She became the sole owner of the practice in March 2009. In 2014, she changed the name of the practice to Brandon Equine Medical Center to fully encompass all of the services the practice has to offer. Dr. Kuebelbeck’s professional interests include both orthopedic and soft tissue surgery. Dr. Kuebelbeck was the 2009 President of the Florida Association of Equine Practitioners (FAEP) and serves on the Symposium Committee for the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS).
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Dr. Kuebelbeck is a self-professed “equine geek” who knew by the age of five that she wanted to become a horse veterinarian, and she never wavered from that goal. She grew up riding in Kansas so of course, she rode Western and quickly fell in love with barrel racing and pole bending. Family economics did not afford the opportunity for extensive showing, but she competed locally as often as possible, and 4-H was an important part of her formative years. Now, a mother herself, Dr. Kuebelbeck gets tremendous joy watching Grace, her six-year-old daughter, ride Lightning, the saintly pony, around the home property. She is hoping to foster a love for barrel racing with Grace, but for now, Cinderella and Rapunzel are winning out! Dr. Kuebelbeck enjoys spending time with her family and participating in outdoor sports. She has completed two Ironman triathlons (Louisville and Kona) and achieved a personal best in the Ironman 70.3 in Lawrence, Kansas in 2010.
You may contact Dr. Kuebelbeck at lkuebelbeck@brandonequine.com.
Ruth-Anne Richter, BSc (Hon), DVM, MS
Surgeon
Dr. Richter received her veterinary degree from the Atlantic Veterinary College on Prince Edward Island, Canada in 1995 after finishing a Bachelor of Science (Hon) degree. Dr. Richter did an equine internship at Mississippi State University, and following a year in private practice, she began a surgical residency at the University of Illinois. She completed her surgical residency and concurrent Master of Science degree in 2000. Since then, Dr. Richter has worked as a staff surgeon at Reid and Associates in West Palm Beach, the Equine Specialty Hospital in Ohio, and East End Equine in Long Island, New York. Dr. Richter joined Brandon Equine Medical Center in 2005 as a staff surgeon. Prior to attending veterinary school, Dr. Richter was farm manager for Christilot Hanson-Boylen, a member of Canada’s Dressage Team. Dr. Richter’s specialties include equine sports medicine, diagnostic imaging—particularly ultrasound—lameness, and surgery.
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Dr. Richter is a member of the AVMA, CVMA, AAEP, ISELP (International Society for Equine Locomotor Pathology), and NAVRMA (North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association). Dr. Richter is also a member of the FVMA’s FAEP board of directors. She is certified by Vet-Stem® and is a member of the Vet Stem advisory committee.
You may contact Dr. Richter at rrichter@brandonequine.com.
Michael Maher, DVM, DACVS-LA, CVMMP
Surgeon and Certified Veterinary Medical Manipulation Practitioner
Dr. Michael Maher is a native Floridian who grew up with his three sisters on a small hobby farm in Plantation, Florida. The joys of farm life and growing up with horses left him with no doubt that veterinary medicine was the only path he wanted to travel.
And travel he did! He left the warmth of Florida for Colorado where he earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at Colorado State University.
From Colorado, Dr. Maher went to California to intern with Pioneer Equine in Oakdale, California, a practice with a predominantly performance horse clientele that sees approximately 5,700 horses annually. There, he honed his veterinary skills and took a particular interest in surgery, which led him to pursue a surgical residency.
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Adding to his travels and returning to cold winters, Dr. Maher went on to do a three-year surgical residency at Cornell University in upstate Ithaca, NY. While at Cornell, he was a co-investigator looking at the correlation between transesophageal ultrasound findings and recurrent laryngeal neuropathy, and he became proficient at performing transesophageal ultrasound examination of the equine larynx.
Following his residency and not yet deterred by the harsh winters, Dr. Maher accepted a position at the University of Minnesota in Saint Paul as a surgeon and clinical instructor of large animal surgery. During his tenure at U.M., he earned the university’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching as well as becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons – Large Animal.
In 2016, after having experienced life in the United States’ central, western, and farthest northern reaches, Dr. Maher joined the Brandon Equine Medical Center team and happily planted his roots back in the warmth of Florida. He continues to add to his skillset, and in 2018, he earned his certification as a Veterinary Medical Manipulation Practitioner licensed to perform Spinal Manipulative Therapy.
Outside of equine veterinary medicine, Dr. Maher enjoys fishing, hiking, and being out on the water.
Dr. Maher can be contacted at mmaher@brandonequine.com.
Melissa Restifo, DVM, DACVIM
Internal Medicine Specialist
Dr. Restifo is a self-proclaimed “barn rat” and has been surrounded by horses since long before she could walk. After spending much of her childhood with her grandparents on the back stretch of a Standardbred race track, in middle school, a move to the country found her neighbors with a herd of Shire draft horses. It wasn’t long before she jumped elbow deep into helping with breeding, showing, and training the Shires, in addition to unknowingly having her love of veterinary medicine cultivated by their owners, a wildlife biologist and a small animal veterinarian.
After completing her undergraduate training at Cornell University, Dr. Restifo completed her veterinary degree, internship, and internal medicine residency at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. During this time, her love of horses kept her anchored firmly in the barn when she wasn’t in the classroom.
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As a student and intern, she took lessons and kept a job as a groom at a busy Morgan show barn, and then as a resident finally found her home (and her heart horse) at three-day eventing stable nearby to the hospital. Because a residency wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Dr. Restifo kept a part time job as night manager of the facility, helping look after the almost 40 show horses that called it home.
Throughout her veterinary training, Dr. Restifo took a keen interest in equine endocrinology, and in addition to making it the focus of her resident research, has also published several articles on the topic, and has been invited to lecture on metabolic diseases of the horse at regional and national meetings. Tufts is also well known for it’s cutting edge research and treatment of horses with equine asthma, which fostered a love of respiratory medicine. Her passion for veterinary medicine has always motivated her to share her knowledge through teaching, and she is well known for her propensity to talk at length about topics like nutrition, exercise physiology, and neonatology, in addition to endocrinology and asthma, with anyone that will listen. For her, client education is among the most rewarding parts of being a veterinarian.
Outside of work, Dr. Restifo still enjoys spending her free time in the saddle, or out on the water boating or fishing with her family. Mostly however, she loves spending time with her daughter, Ruby, who has already caught the horse bug in the form of a pony names Elvis.
Dr. Restifo is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Dr. Restifo’s exemplary knowledge, internal medicine training, amazing work ethic, and dedication to the horse make her a gifted veterinarian who understands and appreciates her clients, their equine partners, and each teams unique needs in veterinary care. Dr. Restifo sees patients in the clinic and on the farm and can be contacted by calling 813-643-7177 or emailing mrestifo@brandonequine.com.
Jane Woodrow, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (LAIM).
Dr. Jane Woodrow was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area. She grew up riding horses and loved eventing. Dr. Woodrow worked at Brandon Equine Medical Center prior to going to veterinary school, back when it was called Surgi-Care!
Dr. Woodrow did her veterinary training at the University of Florida, with internship training at the University of Georgia and then large animal internal medicine training at the University of Tennessee. She kept moving up the east coast and ended up at the University of Pennsylvania. She has moved back to Florida to be closer to family and to continue practicing internal medicine.
Expert equine care in Brandon, FL.
From our board-certified horse surgeons and board-certified internists to our professional and courteous staff, at Brandon Equine Medical Center, we are committed to the health and well-being of all breeds and sizes of horses. In the field, as an outpatient, or when admitted to the horse hospital, we treat every horse like our own and every client as the most important.
Contact Info
Phone: 813-643-7177
Fax: 813-643-5877
Email: info@brandonequine.com
Hours
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Emergency care available: 24/7/365
Location
605 E Bloomingdale Ave
Brandon, FL 33511
Click here for directions.
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