Our Story
Why did we keep the name "Miamitown Equine", even after moving north of Miamitown?
The name is part of who we are, and how we got started!
Miamitown Pet Hospital was founded in 1985 by Dr. Michael Frederick as a general mixed practice treating both large and small animals. Dr. Frederick was Dr. Hood's own horse vet growing up, and Dr. Hood got her first experiences with equine veterinary medicine while riding along in Dr. Frederick's vet truck. Dr. Frederick would joke with her that she should go to vet school and come back to her hometown to take over the equine practice after graduation. So that's exactly what she did!
After joining Dr. Frederick in 2016 (and answering his frequent question "Are you sure you want to do this for a living?" with a determined YES!), Dr. Hood started Miamitown Equine Veterinary Services in 2017, splitting off the equine practice from Miamitown Pet Hospital to provide specialized care for horses. Dr. Frederick has stepped away from primary practice in recent years, but remains a trusted consultant.
Our team has continued to grow, and in 2024, we expanded to a new location with an outpatient haul-in clinic.
Jamie Nickels, DVM - Equine Veterinarian
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Dr. Nickels has a special interest in sports medicine and lameness evaluation, but enjoys all aspects of general practice! Instead of just doing "band-aid" treatments, she is dedicated to identifying the root cause of lameness and performance issues and helping her patients return to comfort and soundness. Dr. Nickels grew up in the Cincinnati area, riding hunter/jumpers and in the Quarter Horse circuit, and has made her way back to her hometown. In her free time she likes to spend time with her family, garden, golf, and ride her two horses.
Dr. Nickels attended Ohio State for both her undergraduate degree and veterinary school. After veterinary school, she completed a year long internship at Woodside Equine Clinic in Virginia. There she gained additional knowledge and skills, spending half of her time learning about high quality general practice and the other half about hospitalized/referral surgical and medical cases. Following her internship, Dr. Nickels practiced in Eastern Ohio, where she worked with a variety of horses, including pleasure, performance, and working horses before joining our team here at Miamitown Equine. She is a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA).
Jade Tanner
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Jade instantly fell in love with horses once becoming involved in the horse world at age 18. She started out trail riding for fun, then working and training with Esser Valley Arabians grew her fascination with the competition side of the horse industry. She is the master multitasker and keeps everything running smoothly in the office.
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Amber Russell ​​
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Amber has always been passionate about the well being of all animals, and horses have always been her favorite. She studied Equine Science at Butler Tech and graduated from Morehead State University in the fall of 2020 with a bachelors degree in Equine Science. In her off time, she enjoys walks with her dog, bowling in a league and drawing to her hearts content.
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Mady Burman-Smith
Mady fell in love with horses when she was a little kid and no matter how many other things she tried, she always came back to the equine world. She came from an equine vet practice in California and she is currently in school completing her undergrad with plans of heading to vet school when she finishes. Hopefully she will become a horse doctor herself!
Megan Scarth
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Megan has loved horses for as long as she can remember and has dedicated much of her life to working with them. She’s ridden and owned horses since she was little. Her passion led her to study equine science at Butler Tech, where she graduated in 2022. On her days off, you can always find her at the barn, doing what she loves most.
Jenny Dodd
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Jenny has been passionate about horses from a young age, riding since childhood and caring for horses for many years. She grew up riding and competing in the Hunter/Jumper circuit, and has in recent years been focusing on Dressage. Jenny enjoys spending time with her Irish Draught Sport Horse, Paddy, her cat Finn and husband Josh. Outside of horses she enjoys hiking, mountain biking and painting.