Lisa S. Lancaster, DVM
Education and Credentials
DVM, Michigan State University, 2002-2006
Graduate Research Assistant, Equine Foot Lab, MSU, 2002-2006
• Animal Chiropractic Certification, Parker Chiropractic College, Apr-Sep 2006
• Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation Training, Boston, Mass, Oct 2006
• Animal Acupuncture Certification, Colorado State University, Jan-May 2007
• Licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Colorado, Minnesota, and Michigan
• USDA accredited in Colorado
My Background
...or how I became a veterinarian at a not-so-young-age
Like most of my professional colleagues, as a child I dreamed of being a veterinarian. But unlike the majority of my peers, the path I took was not direct from high school to vet school. I traveled around the world for several years after college, earned gradate degrees, was a scholar and researcher in a non-veterinary academic field, was a snowboard instructor in Vail, Colorado for a while, and then became a farrier. After several years of shoeing horses, my childhood visions of becoming a veterinarian began to resurface. My veterinary practice is informed by my background in academic philosophy, veterinary science, hoof care, and a lifelong love of horses.
Here we are 20 years later on Eddie and Azulina riding the GMHA 50 mile, Vermont 1995
Me and my sister Rachel on our ponies, competing the GMHA 50-mile ride, Vermont 1975
My sister and I got our first pony when we were in elementary school. Every day after school, and every summer vacation Rachel and I spent riding horses. We went to 4-H camp, pony club camp, and local horse shows in New England. In addition to showing and eventing, we became interested in long distance competitive trail riding. We rode the Vermont 50-mile ride several times. I competed in my first Vermont 100 mile competitive trail ride in the junior division, in the 1970s, on a fiery little Arab gelding. When I was in high school I purchased a skinny, sickly Arab gelding named Eddie. Eddie became a terrific multipurpose horse for my sister and I. He competed in shows, eventing, competitive and endurance distance rides, and combined driving events. He was the horse of honor at my wedding in 1995 and Rachel's wedding in 2001.
I saw the Egyptian pyramids from my favorite perspective: a horse’s ears in my line of sight.
Although my love of horses was ever-present, my dream of becoming a veterinarian was surpassed by my growing interest in humanities and social science by the end of my first year of college. After college I spent several years traveling around the world. I lived in Australia, New Zealand and Israel. I traveled through the Middle East, Europe and South East Asia. I completed a Master’s degree in International Politics at the London School of Economics in England. Upon my return to the United States I moved to Colorado to live with John (to know more about the wonderful phase of my life with John, see www.johnlancastermemorial.com ). We decided to bring our horses from Vermont to Colorado. In contrast to having horses in New England, having them in a remote area of Colorado I was unable to find reliable veterinary or farrier services. At that time I didn’t think of becoming a farrier or vet myself. We sent the horses back home to Vermont.
In Colorado I discovered that I was able to enjoy something aside from riding horses! Riding mountain bikes and snowboarding on Vail Mountain was lots of fun. I returned to academia in the mid-1990s to earn a PhD at the University of Denver. I found out that I was passionate about teaching college classes and conducting research, yet my interest in the subject matter was increasingly overshadowed by my growing curiosity about all things related to horses. While I was finishing my doctoral research, in order to re-connect with horses and improve my horsemanship skills, I enrolled in horseshoeing school in Denver. I did not, at that time, intend to practice as a farrier, but instead wanted to learn to shoe my own horses. While I was overseas conducting dissertation research in Russia and the Philippines, I found myself almost more curious about the feet of horses (that I saw pulling carriages in the streets) than about people who were the subject of my research!
By the time I completed my research at the University of Denver I was working as a farrier, and had a growing interest in the equine hoof. I liked shoeing horses but I was also fascinated by the idea of researching the topic. I had a new goal to combine clinical and research interests in the hoof by becoming a veterinarian. I chose Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine for the opportunity to work in Dr. Bowker's Equine Foot Lab. My work now is a combination of my lifelong love of horses, my background as a teacher and researcher, and my training in farrier and veterinary practice.
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| With my pony Butterscotch, GMHA 50-mile, mid-1970's | 3-phase eventing in Mass. on Silly, late 1970s | On Azulina, VT 100, 1994 |