Our Team
Our team would like to welcome all existing and new clients to our website and our clinic. We also love visiting your yard or having a chat at any of the competitions we provide veterinary cover for.
Whilst the clinic officially opened in 2008, we have been around for much longer (we don’t like to point out our ages, but let’s say we have you covered with plenty of experience!).
We hope you find our team professional, friendly and knowledgeable and hope you keep returning as customers and as friends. We are as invested in your horse’s health and performance as you are – a happy horse is a happy customer in our minds.
Find out a little bit more about our practice’s history and each team member below.
Thank you for trusting us with your horses!
About Us
Meet Our Team
Veterinary Surgeons
Hugh graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in 1981. Originally, he wanted to be a farm vet, but his equine and in particular his eventing interest soon took over. Not only did he himself compete at the famous Badminton Horse Trials, he was the Official Team vet for the Irish Senior Eventing team for many years, covering Olympic Games, European and World Championships. He is the veterinary advisor to Horse Sport Ireland and is on all 4 major Irish Auction Sales Vet Panels..
He has incredible horsemanship and veterinary sports medicine knowledge, and his expertise is second to none. He is always happy to have a wee chat and a story, and his unassuming nature makes him a great vet, friend and mentor.
His main professional interests are sports medicine, lameness and PPEs. Putting himself through extreme physical challenges seems to keep him sane, he is a keen cyclist, runner and swimmer – recently becoming an Ironman!
Inge graduated from Ghent University, Belgium in 1998 and moved to Northern Ireland straight away. She worked in mixed practice for a couple of years, before heading to Australia for a stud season. She returned to Northern Ireland to start working with Hugh, who has been an incredible mentor and partner.
Professionally, her main interest are in Surgery and Sports Medicine, achieving advanced practitioner status in Equine Orthopaedic Surgery in 2022. This makes her one of only two AVPs with a designation in Northern Ireland, and the only one in Orthopaedic Surgery. She is on the Cavan and Tattersalls Sales veterinary panels and also manages the practice.
A keen rider in her younger days, she competed at low level eventing, before getting into horse breeding. She has bred Showjumpers and National Hunt Racehorses and has successfully raced some too.
She has dabbled in triathlon, mountain biking and photography in her spare time.
Cormac graduated at University of Dublin in 2018. He obtained a human cardiac rehabilitation degree before that! Once he fulfilled his dream of becoming a Veterinary Surgeon, he did an internship at Troytown Equine Hospital, gaining a fantastic knowledge base. He joined Tullyraine Equine Clinic in 2020 and has developed into a well-rounded, reliable and brilliant clinician.
In a professional capacity, he concentrates on sports medicine and dentistry, but he is also a brilliant internal medicine vet.
He was a keen footballer and showjumper in his younger years but dedicates himself to breeding Flat Racehorses now.
Zoe graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 2020 and went straight into a rotating intership at Donnington Grove Equine Hospital for 18 months. Early 2022, she came home to Northern Ireland and worked a short while at KR Equine, before joining the Tullyraine Equine Clinic team in November of that year. Her positive, upbeat disposition paired with a sound veterinary knowledge base, makes her a valued member of the team.
She loves the reproduction work, to which she dedicates herself each spring season, but she is also very interested in lameness diagnosis. She started studying for a certificate in in lameness diagnosis in 2024 and is halfway through it already.
She is a brilliant artist, horse rider and keeps fit with Hyrox and gym.
Georgios graduated in Budapest, Hungary in 2024. He went to Equitom in Belgium straight after graduation, to do an equine internship at their Namur Equine Hospital. He gained fantastic experience and knowledge there, thanks to their huge case load.
He joined us in November 2025 and has fitted into the team immediately. He has a super sunny attitude and brightens everyone’s day just by being there. But don’t be fooled, underlying this, he is a very knowledgeable and conscientious vet!
He looks after our inpatients, inhalation anaesthesia and is quickly growing his own case load. Orthopaedics is his main interest, but he is not shying away from anything and is eager to learn.
He keeps fit in the gym and is exploring Northern Ireland as much as he can in his free time. He is a great cook and loves dancing!
Business Admin Staff
Andrea started working at Tullyraine House Stud in 1998 and is officially our longest serving and most loyal employee! She graduated from Leicester University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences (Zoology).
She showed horses and evented up to when she graduated and then decided that a career in a veterinary practice would fit her well.
She has contributed immensely to the growth and reputation of Tullyraine Equine Clinic over the years. She has gathered many hats during this time: from horse and stable groom to veterinary nursing assistant, radiography assistant, stallion handler, stud manager, clinic manager, debt collector, etc.
She currently looks after our customer accounts, and keeps sarcoid protocols and insurance claims on track, whilst filling in wherever else she may be needed. She loves skiing, dogs and is super mum to her two brilliant kids.
Gilly became our receptionist and front of house in 2016. Her background in logistics helps her keep our vet appointments running as smoothly as possible and her own international eventing background gives her a great insight in what owners and their horses need.
The reception area and work can get very hectic it is great to have unflappable team members taking care of it.
Gilly has gone part time these days, so she has more time to tackle some rounds of golf. She often seems to come home with silver wear – not that she would ever tell us – she keeps her successes very quiet, but we are on to her!
Natasha joined Gilly at reception in 2022 after working in the racehorse industry for years and being receptionist at Castlewellan vets. She brings great horse knowledge with her, which puts her in a great position to help our clients.
She has taken over from Gilly as front of house now and greets everyone with a warm smile and hello. She is also super capable at juggling the demands of a busy reception. She and Gilly make a great team!
Natasha stays fit by hitting the gym regularly and continues to get her ‘horsey fix’ by mentoring and accompanying her niece at pony club competitions.
Clinic Staff
Aimee came to Tullyraine Equine Clinic as her placement for her Animal Care Assistant course and luckily for us, she has never left. She officially joined the team in 2016.
She is the embodiment of Tullyraine and we are so pleased to have her in our team. She continually improves her knowledge in all fields of animal and veterinary care.
She organises the vets, manages our veterinary support team and patients, ensures consistent drugs stocks, looks after equipment maintenance and servicing and so much more.
She has just started a nursing management course online as she constantly looks to improve her contribution to the team. She also is a gym bunny and loves a line dance and a jive or two.
Katie joined the team in 2022. Her pony club and eventing background has given her a great insight in horse management and care.
She looks after our inpatients as if they are her own and has a keen eye for noticing anything being ‘off’ with them.
She has an uncanny knack of getting radiographic positioning absolutely spot on and is a reliable pair of hands all round. She is very capable with technology and is currently stepping up with dispensing and discharging of inpatients.
She is a keen runner and how she has the dedication and tenacity to run sub 3-hour marathons is beyond us!
Colin started with us in 2022. He grew up with a great interest in thoroughbred breeding and racing. He has an encyclopaedical knowledge of thoroughbreds and trained point to pointers for a while himself. He is a very accomplished horse handler, and all our vets love him assisting them.
They know he will keep them as safe as possible by controlling the horse well. Not only is he a vital and reliable part to our yard and clinic team, he also looks after the day-to-day maintenance of the clinic, stables and yard.
He follows racing very closely and helps with his brother’s breeding endeavours. His two teenage boys keep him on his toes, and they are a testament to him and his wife Debbie.
Keva also joined in 2023. She has been showing and breeding Irish Sport Horses all her life and is very proficient at it. She always has a bit of tongue and cheek to keep us all entertained. She is great at horse and stable care and will not leave our patients wanting.
She has a great way with horses and foals alike and is a super asset to our team. Her radiography skills are coming on greatly and is always at about to lend a hand.
She has just gained a wee addition to her family – a wee boy – maybe that will keep
her out of trouble a little…
Dearbhla joined us in 2023 and is our youngest team member. Don’t be fooled though, she is wise beyond her years and is a super caring and hugely motivated person.
She will often have great suggestions as to how we can improve our services to our owners and clients. She knows how to properly look after the hygiene and sterility of the clinic. She enjoys being involved in surgical prep for surgeries and the patient aftercare.
She instinctively knows where she is needed during veterinary procedures and how to assist without having to be asked. This makes her an absolute pleasure to have as an assistant during the many varied procedures we carry out as a team.
She is a ferocious GAA player and a great team player all round.
Pippa joined us in April to help with the stud season and to learn the ropes in assisting our vets in the clinic. Before she came to us, she worked as a groom for an event rider – she did it so well, she won the Eventing Ireland Groom of the Year Award in 2023!
She has also worked in retail – both horse and non-horse related- making her a pleasant and client focused person.
Her eventing and grooming background gives her the perfect horse knowledge to help us look after our clients’ horses, mares and foals. She successfully competes her own mare Addy across several disciplines!
Visiting Specialist and Certificate Holders
Clodagh is a European Boards Certified Surgical Specialist for horses and is also a lecturer, assistant professor and senior clinician at the University College of Dublin.
We are so proud that she and UCD have been collaborating with us since 2018. Thanks to her and her very approachable nature, we can make the highest level of veterinary surgery available at Tullyraine Equine Clinic. Our close relationship also gives our clients a great gateway into specialist critical care at UCD equine hospital should the need arise.
We learn so much from her and are very proud to be able to offer her expertise to our clients at our clinic.
Carolyn needs very little introduction to horse owners in Northern Ireland. She is solely responsible for bringing advanced veterinary dental services to Northern Ireland at a time where equine dentistry was generally very basic.
We have always had a close working relationship with Carolyn, but that intensified in 2021, when she made Tullyraine Equine Clinic her base. We dedicated one of the rooms to make a dental suite where all levels of equine dentistry could be performed.
She took Cormac under her wing and for years has been mentoring him in dentistry. Sadly, an injury is preventing Carolyn to continue to do practical work, but she is still willing and able to lend a hand, should Cormac encounter an extremely challenging case.
Our History
1981
Hugh Suffern graduates and starts working at Rathfriland Vet Clinic. His interest in eventing and horses means he quickly becomes the ‘go to’ equine vet and starts building a huge client base. He is the founder of Tullyraine House Stud and Tullyraine Equine Clinic.
1988
Hugh is Irish Eventing Team vet for the first time at Seoul Olympic Games. He goes on to attend Barcelona, Atlanta, Syndney, Beijing and Rio de Janeiro in the same capacity after that, with many European and World Championships in between.
2001
Inge joins Hugh at Tullyraine House Stud and Rathfriland Vet Clinic after a stint as a repro vet in Australia. Together they continue to build the Tullyraine Equine Clinic and stud’s client base.
Hugh stands several thoroughbred stallions at Tullyraine House Stud over the following years (Insan, Winged Love, Perpendicular, Conduit and Primary).
2008
Opening of the dedicated Tullyraine Equine Clinic premises on the Quarry Road. It remains the only purpose-built equine veterinary facility in Northern Ireland.
Hugh continues to increase his status by joining several sales panels and ISH stallion panels.
The reproduction work at Tullyraine House Stud continues to grow.
Inge joins The Irish Turf Club as a Veterinary Officer.
2016
Hugh and Inge join in a professional partnership to start Tullyraine Equine Clinic LLP. This takes them away from mixed practice in Rathfriland to concentrate solely in equine medicine and surgery. This move allows them to dedicate their growing expertise to their equine patients and to grow the breadth and standard of services offered at the clinic.
2019
A collaboration with University College Dublin (UCD) and Specialist Surgeon Clodagh Kearney, DipECVS commences. This brings specialist surgical services to Northern Ireland. With the help of a DAERA rural business grant, Tullyraine invested in Arthroscopy and additional endoscopy equipment to increase the surgical services offered.
2020
Cormac joins the Tullyraine vet team. He soon becomes a vital cog in the team, quickly expanding his general knowledge. He takes a keen interest in dentistry and under tuition of Carolyn Perkins, CertAVP(ED) and John Mark O’Leary, DipECVS, DipECVD becomes increasingly proficient in advanced equine dentistry.
2022
Zoe joins the veterinary team at Tullyraine. She immediately becomes an integral and values part of Tullyraine. Her interest in reproduction means her spring and summer are very much dedicated to that endeavour, but that does not take away her interest in lameness and sports medicine.
Inge obtains an Advanced Veterinary Practitioner Certificate (Equine Orthopaedic Surgery). This post-graduate qualification from the University of Liverpool makes her one of the very few vets in Northern Ireland to have a dedicated AVP cert and the only one in equine orthopaedic surgery.
2025
Georgios joins the vet team. Despite being the youngest vet, he already packs a punch looking after our inpatients and building his own cases.
2026
Celebrating 45/25/10! Hugh’s 45th year as a veterinary surgeon, Inge’s 25th anniversary at Tullyraine and the 10th year anniversary of Tullyraine Equine Clinic LLP!
A great reason for the whole team to celebrate – none of this would be happening without their help!
Our Premises
Our clinic facilities are the only purpose-built ones in Northern Ireland.
Between the clinic and the stud, we can cater for most of equine medicine and
surgery requirements. Amongst other things we have:
– Dedicated radiography room
– Dental suite
– Operation room
– Scrub room
– Padded knock down/recovery rooms with hoist
– Consultation rooms
– 3 sets of stocks
– Pharmacy
– Reception and waiting area
– 10 clinic stables for inpatients
– Trot up area and lunge pen
– Loading bays for lorries and trailers
We also have separate stud facilities with:
– Double mare and foal stud stocks
– Stud office
– Frozen semen storage
– Stabling (17 large mare and foal stables)
– Turn-out pens and fields
– Covering pen
– Teaser stable
TULLYRAINE EQUINE CLINIC 