The Vets
Clinical Directors
Howard Newitt - BVetMed, CertEP, MRCVS Advanced Practitioner in Equine Practice
Veterinary Surgeon and Clinical Director
Howard qualified in 1995 and attained the RCVS Certificate in Equine Practice in 2000. Howard is an FEI listed vet for both eventing and reining. As a keen rider regularly taking part in eventing and bloodhounding, Howard has a particular interest in problems of the performance horse. Howard is a local authority riding school inspector and spends part of his time advising insurance brokers and underwriters.

David McDonald - BVM&S, MRCVS
Veterinary Surgeon and Clinical Director
David graduated from the Royal (Dick) Veterinary College, Edinburgh before joining Cinque Ports Veterinary Group in Rye. Following an 18 month term there he completed an internship at Rossdales & Partners, Newmarket where he was responsible for admission and management of critically ill hospital patients, general anaesthesia and lameness diagnosis. David returned to Kent as an assistant to Peter Cantor before purchasing Milbourn Equine in 2004. David was a Senior Veterinary Surgeon at Folkestone Racecourse until its closure in December 2012. Outside work David keeps himself busy managing his menagerie of horses, dogs and cats with his wife Anna and children Maddie & Archie.

Sharon Marsh - BVet Med MRCVS
Veterinary Surgeon and Clinical Director
Sharon joined Cinque Ports Vets in 1993 as a new Graduate initially working at our Rye and Lydd branches. Sharon developed her interests in small animal medicine and surgery and in 2009 became a Director of Cinque Ports Vets and Milbourn Equine. She is responsible for all our small animal branches.
In her spare time Sharon and her husband Simon enjoy spending time with their two sons Will and Ed. Sharon enjoys sailing her laser from Rye Harbour sailing club with the family, surfing and walking her dogs Fred and Lottie.
Equine Vets
Sarah Emptage - BVetMed, MRCVS
Veterinary Surgeon
Sarah graduated from London University in 1995, after which she spent 10 years working in a busy large animal practice in Kent. Sarah joined Milbourn Equine in October 2005. Sarah has a particular interest in Emergency medicine and conditions of the geriatric horse. When not working, Sarah enjoys riding, singing, gardening and spending time with her 3 boys Henry, William and James and walking her dog Digby. Sarah is also Akela of her local cub pack.

Katie Preston - BVSc, MRCVS
Veterinary Surgeon
Following graduation from Liverpool university in 2011, Katie spent a few months working in an equine charity hospital in Egypt treating the working horses of Luxor and on her return spent a year working in mixed practice on Exmoor. Having grown up in Cranbrook , she spent some time seeing practice here at Milbourn Equine as a student and when the opportunity arose she joined us in February 2013. As a keen event rider she has a particular interest in sport horse medicine alongside lameness and reproduction. Outside of work her time is taken up riding and competing her eventers and entertaining her Cocker Spaniel, Taz.
Harriet Fairhurst - BSc(Hons) BVetMed MRCVS
Veterinary Surgeon
Harriet joined Milbourn Equine in 2016 after completing two degrees, Bioveterinary Science & Veterinary Medicine, both at The Royal Veterinary College. She has been involved in lots of research projects - most recently researching how acupuncture can treat lameness. Harriet's hobbies include riding (hunting, eventing and playing polo), running, walking her rescue lurcher Flash and entertaining. Her academic interests include surgery and internal medicine, which was fuelled by spending a month at Rossdales. Additionally she has a huge interest in donkey medicine.
Amy Baskerville - BVSc MRCVS
Veterinary Surgeon
Amy qualified in 2005 from Liverpool University and went straight into equine practice in North Wales. She subsequently spent time in equine and mixed practice in North Wales and Kent, having moved back south in 2014. Amy was very excited to join Milbourn in September 2016 having settled happily in the area with her family.
Amy comes from a thoroughly equestrian background having being plonked on a pony before she could walk! She primarily enjoyed eventing before heading off to Vet school, inspired by her father who is also an equine vet. She can now be found trotting about the roads close to where she lives getting her big bay ‘Bobby’ fit for hunting. This, her dedication to her equine patients, being Mum to two boys Charles and Henry and walking and running with her crazy spaniel ‘Otto’ is keeping her busy!
Sanne Minnema - MSc MRCVS
Veterinary Surgeon
Sanne qualified from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands in 2015. During her studies she did a few projects with working horses and street animals in The Gambia & Ecuador. Following graduation, Sanne started working as an intern in Berkshire with Chiltern Equine Clinic after which she joined us at Milbourn in November 2016. Sanne enjoys all aspects of Equine veterinary medicine and outside of work she loves riding, mainly show jumping and eventing, and travelling.
Matteo Mucciante - MRCVS
Veterinary Surgeon
Matteo graduated in 2015 from the University of Perugia in Italy. He then moved to the UK where, after a 7 month externship, he completed a year's internship at the Hambleton Equine Clinic in North Yorkshire. In October 2017 he left the Yorkshire moors for the more continental weather of Kent and joined Milbourn Equine. His main interests are internal medicine, reproduction, lameness and dentistry. When not working he enjoys football, cooking, travelling, swimming and fishing, but in the warm seas of Italy!