Our Equine Veterinarians in Maryland
Richard J. Forfa, DVM DABVP
Dr. Forfa started Monocacy Equine in 1983. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Veterinary Practice with a specialty in Equine Medicine. Dr. Forfa graduated from University of Parma, Italy in 1980. From 1980-1981, he practiced at the thoroughbred racetracks at Monmouth Park and Meadowlands. He also practiced on Maryland’s Eastern shore prior to starting Monocacy Equine. He is particularly interested in the care of the mare and foal, gastrointestinal diseases and lameness and injury of the foot and hoof. Dr. Forfa is an FEI Veterinarian for combined driving and was part of the Vet Team at the WEG 2010 in Kentucky. He also serves on the Council of Biologics & Therapeutics for the AVMA & AAEP as Equine Representative. Dr. Forfa currently competes in combined carriage driving with his Morgan gelding, Mosswood’s Apollo and is an avid kayak fisherman. Contact Dr. Forfa at DrRichForfa@MonocacyEquine.com
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
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 hopes to one day become certified in chiropractic and acupuncture to be able to help horses using traditional and modern medicine. When she isn’t practicing, you can find her riding her horse Hogan, baking, or hiking with her dog Hazel.
