Dr. Rebecca Gay Evans was born in Camden, South Carolina, where she was first introduced to horses at the age of four. She moved to Savannah, Georgia at the age of six and began competing in the local Coastal Hunter Circuit and on the A circuit shortly thereafter. Thus inspired a passion and a calling for horse care and the “low country.” In her own words, Dr. Evans “was, quite literally, raised in a barn.”
After graduating from Savannah Country Day School, Dr. Evans attended Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion. While at Davidson, Dr. Evans’ lifelong dream of becoming an equine veterinarian was never far from her thoughts. She was active in Davidson’s Pre-Vet Society and spent her summers learning both the science and art of equine lameness diagnostics from experienced show horse practicioners, Drs. Sam Tetterton and Ginger Reagan. Her years of prior experience riding and competing left her with a keen ability to see and feel where a horse was “off,” even when an owner could not quite identify it.
Following graduation from Davidson College, Dr. Evans enrolled in the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Evans excelled both academically and in her clinical rotations through UGA’s Teaching Hospital. During her rotations, Dr. Evans gained invaluable experience in diagnostic imaging, dentistry and a patient care. Dr. Evans was awarded the Steve Lee Memorial Scholarship for interest in equine surgery, which provided her the opportunity to complete research in the area of equine stem cells. Dr. Evans earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in May of 2010, graduating cum laude.
Upon graduation, UGA awarded Dr. Evans a Large Animal Field Services Internship, one of fifteen such positions in the country. During the Internship, spanning the 2010-2011 academic year, Dr. Evans refined and enhanced her skills in equine dentistry under the mentorship of renowned equine dentist Dr. Michael Lowder and further developed a passion for diagnostic imaging and treatment of sport horse injuries. She also had the unique opportunity to treat and care for the horses of UGA’s four-time NCAA National Champion equestrian team, her first endeavor into care for horses in collegiate competition.
During her Internship, Dr. Evans performed innovative research into the variation of equine palate depths. The Journal of Veterinary Dentistry published the results of her studies in its Winter 2012 volume. Dr. Evans’ article, entitled Examination of the Depth of the Equine Hard Palate, can be found here. She hopes that her research will make it possible to customize bits in a manner that is more comfortable for horses and more effective for riders.
After completing her Internship, Dr. Evans returned to her home and roots. She currently resides in Savannah, Georgia with her husband, Larry, a local attorney, and their two dogs and two cats. Dr. Evans serves as the in-house veterinarian for the Savannah College of Art and Design’s perennial ANRC National Champion Equestrian Team. In addition to serving as SCAD’s vet, Dr. Evans teaches Equine Anatomy and Systems Disorders and Lameness to juniors and seniors in the school’s Equestrian Studies major.
Dr. Evans works at SCAD on Mondays through Wednesdays each week. The rest of the week, she runs Evans Equine, a mobile veterinary practice serving the low country from Statesboro, Georgia to Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Evans specializes in sport horse medicine and dentistry and is available for appointments each week on Thursdays and Fridays. If you would like to make an appointment, please call (912) 596-7908 or send an e-mail to [email protected].