Whistlejacket

Oliver Davis, MRCVS

Oliver Davis grew up in Bavaria, the bicultural product of a German-American family. He graduated from DePauw University in Indiana, USA before matriculating into veterinary school at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. Upon graduation in 1995, he became the fourth generation in his family to enter into the veterinary profession. After working in a specialist equine practice near Augsburg, he came to this country in 1997. He founded Whistlejacket Equine Surgery in 2000.  Currently, Oliver also works as the Equine Veterinary Technical Manager for Fort Dodge Animal Health. His main professional interest is equine lameness for which he published a book in 2007.  Oliver is married to Katy and has a son, Freddie and two step-children, Charlie and Tory.

Mark Cubberley, MRCVS

Mark graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 1992.  Since then he has worked in equine practice in both England and Ireland.  He gained his certificate in Equine Internal Medicine in 2001.  Mark has also acted as an examiner for the Royal College in Internal Medicine.  He has been the GB team vet for the under-21 endurance team.  Mark has ridden since a young age and enjoys hunting, show jumping, hunter trials, point to pointing and polo.  He is married to Dawn and they have 3 children.

Alex Gillen, MRCVS

Alex graduated from Cambridge University in 2007 and completed an internship at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket where she worked under Dr Sue Dyson for a year.  Alex has ridden from a young age and has competed in Dressage at the regional, national and under-21 championships.

Katy Davis - Practice Manager

Katy is our practice manager who is responsible for seeing that the office runs smoothly.  Having run her own rosette making business for over 9 years she now enjoys the challenges of running the surgery.  Katy has been involved in many equestrian sports including playing polo for GB whilst in the pony club, eventing, international driving and most of all, hunting.  Katy is married to Oliver and has 2 older children, Charlie and Tory and more recently, young Freddie.

Amanda Watson

Amanda is the cheerful voice on the telephone you normally hear in the mornings.  Born in Germany, she arrived in England at the age of 4 and settled up north in Lancashire.  Having recently moved to Dorset, she joined Whistlejacket in March 2009.  She has 3 children, Jordon, Becky and Ellis.  She enjoys riding in her spare time.

Gail Marsh

Gail is the other cheerful voice on the telephone, usually in the afternoons.  Gail has lived in Dorset all of her life, mainly working with hunters and point to pointers.  When not at Whistlejacket, she clips racehorses for the Alners and enjoys hunting her ex- pointer ‘Bully’.

Sarah Clarke

A very experienced horsewoman, owns and runs the yard at Fishmore Hill Farm, and expertly takes care of any in-patients. She trains point-to-pointers.

Bruce Bladon, BVM&S CertEP DESTS DipECVS - MRCVS, RCVS & European Specialist in Equine Surgery

Bruce is a graduate of Edinburgh, qualifying in 1988. He started his career in mixed practice before spending 3 years at the Endell Vet Group in Salisbury. He joined O'Gorman, Slater and Main in 1992 and in 1995 started a 3 year residency in equine surgery at Bristol University. He achieved the RCVS diploma in equine surgery in 1999 and the European diploma in 2001. In 2000 he was awarded specialist status and holds certificates in both equine surgery and equine practice. His interests include colic surgery and in more recent years orthopaedics and fracture repairs.

Geoffrey Lane BVetMed, DESTS, FRCVS, (RCVS Specialist in Equine Surgery). (Wind Surgery)

Geoff graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1969.  After a period in mixed practice in Berkshire he moved to Bristol University to undergo training as an ENT surgeon and gaining his Fellowship of the Royal College in 1974.  He remained at the University for 30 years.  He is a recognised RCVS Specialist in soft tissue surgery and was BEVA president in 1989. He performs several hundred upper respiratory tract procedures each year.