Our Equine Veterinarians in Maryland

Peter J. O’Halloran, DVM

Dr. O’Halloran grew up on Long Island, riding at the Thomas School of Horsemanship.  He later worked at Belmont Park, grooming racehorses for Rokeby Stables.  In 1978, Pete completed the horseshoeing training course at Cornell.  He went on to shoe polo horses in Florida, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, before returning to school and completing his doctorate of veterinary medicine from the University of Florida in 1992.  Initially after vet school, Dr. O’Halloran practiced on the thoroughbred racetracks of south Florida before moving to Maryland and joining Monocacy Equine Veterinary Associates in 1995.

In 1999, Dr. O’Halloran joined Dr. Forfa as a part owner of Monocacy Equine. He lives in Dickerson, Maryland where he helped raise his two boys and enjoys horses with his wife Sarah.  Contact Dr. O’Halloran at DrPeteOHalloran@monocacyequine.com.

Alisha Bretz, DVM

Dr. Bretz grew up in Asheville, NC spending every moment she could on a horse. It was there her love of horses and desire to become a veterinarian was formed. She spent four years at Averett University in Danville, VA, earning a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Equestrian Studies. She also actively participated on the eventing team, successfully showing throughout North Carolina and Virginia. During this time, she cultivated an understanding of proper conditioning of the equine athlete. Vet school brought her to the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, VA where she graduated in 2009 with an Equine emphasis. Dr. Bretz practiced for nine years in southern and then northern Virginia before joining Monocacy Equine. Her primary areas of interest  are diagnosis and rehabilitation of lameness and other medical conditions of the sport horse. She has spent countless hours working to improve her diagnostic imaging skills and staying relevant on current treatments for lameness as well as other maladies of the sport horse. She takes pride in working to rehabilitate and strengthen the whole horse to avoid future injury after layup. When she isn’t practicing, you can find her hiking, running, rock climbing, cooking or riding. Dr. Bretz is truly passionate about spending time outdoors. Contact Dr. Bretz at DrAlishaBretz@MonocacyEquine.com

Mary Davis, DVM, CVMMP

Dr. Davis grew up in Columbia, MD, learning to ride at the Columbia Horse Center. She spent time there as a working student and rode along with the veterinarians at Ridgeview Equine. She earned her B.S. in Animal and Poultry Sciences at Virginia Tech where she was a founding member of the Eventing Club and participated in nutrition research. She graduated from Tufts University in Grafton, MA in 2019 with her DVM. During her time in school she spent a lot of time with the Large Animal ultrasound department where she developed and interest in sports medicine. She was awarded the Large Animal ultrasound student of the year award her final year of school. After school, Dr. Davis completed an internship and continued as an associate with Unionville Equine Associates in Oxford, PA before joining Monocacy Equine. Her primary area of interest are internal medicine, diagnostic imaging and alternative therapies such as chiropractic and acupuncture. She has received her certification to perform equine spinal manipulation (chiropractic) and acupuncture in horses. When she isn’t practicing, you can find her riding her horse Hogan, baking, or hiking with her dog Hazel.

Manrique Miranda, DVM

Dr. Miranda is a native of Costa Rica, but has lived most of his life in North Carolina. He was introduced to the veterinary field while working at a horse barn in NC. He completed his Batchelor’s and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees at NC State University. During his time in vet school, Dr. Miranda was co-coordiator of the Foal Team providing after-hours care to critical foal patients, worked in the Large Animal Hospital caring for and treating hospitalized patients, and was an anatomy teaching assistant, helping first year vet students prepare for assessments. During his clinical year, he won the ACVIM Clinical Excellence in Internal Medicine Award. Dr. Miranda then completed an equine focused internship near Greensboro, NC. There, he developed interest in internal medicine, neonatology, and lameness. Outside of the veterinary field, he enjoys soccer, getting outside with his Siberian Husky, Juno, the Oxford Comma and an occasional chess match with his wife, Asmae.