Nicola qualified from the Royal Veterinary College, London, UK in 1990 and started her career in mixed practice where her passion for equine work began. In 1993 Nicola joined Rossdales Equine Veterinary Surgeons in Newmarket to complete a two year internship and went on to locum at several large equine practices before joining Redwings Horse Sanctuary in 1996.

Redwings Horse Sanctuary is equine charity providing a home to over 1,500 horses, donkeys and mules and focuses on rescue, rehabilitation, rehoming and education.

Nicola is now Head of Veterinary and Care at the charity and works with a large, experienced team of veterinary surgeons and nurses to provide medical and surgical care for equines at the sanctuary. She gained her certificate of Advanced Veterinary Practice in Equine Medicine in 2012 and Equine Surgery Soft Tissue in 2013.

Redwings Horse Sanctuary cares for a significant number of older equines, many of whom require specialist care, management and feeding, which is where Nicola’s interest in geriatric medicine and nutrition began. She has published clinical articles in both peer-reviewed journals and books and regularly lectures at conferences and courses for veterinary surgeons, equine nurses and horse owners.

After qualifying from Cambridge University, Pat completed her Ph.D. at the Animal Health Trust into the Equine Rhabdomyolysis Syndrome. She joined the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition (now Waltham Petcare Science Institute) in 1995. As Director of Science for Mars Horsecare and head of the WALTHAM™ Equine Studies Group, she is responsible for their equine research conducted in collaboration with experts at institutes and universities globally. This provides the science behind the SPILLERS™, BUCKEYE™ Nutrition, and WINERGY™ brands. She is also a scientific advisor to MARS EQUESTRIAN™.

Pat is a European Specialist in Veterinary Clinical and Comparative Nutrition, an RCVS recognized specialist in veterinary clinical nutrition (equine), and a British Equine Veterinary Association Past-President. She is also a member of several international society and charity boards and holds, or has held, a number of academic posts within various institutions around the world.

Pat lectures internationally on nutrition as it affects the health, welfare, behaviour, and performance of the horse. She is the author or co-author of over 500 scientific papers, abstracts, and book chapters with recent emphasis on obesity, laminitis, and senior horse nutrition. She was the co-editor for the 2021 Veterinary Clinics of North America Equine Practice on Equine Nutrition and co-authored two chapters including one on ‘What would be good for all veterinarians to know about Equine nutrition'.