The Vets
Dr Mark Emerson
Mark was born in Argentina but moved to the UK at an early age and grew up in Lincolnshire. He qualified from Edinburgh University with a degree in Animal Science before studying veterinary at the University of Bristol. He qualified in 2004 and took up an intern role at Willesley Equine Clinic in Gloucestershire, before being offered a full time position there.
Mark started the practice in Ascot in 2009 as a sole practitioner to provide a more bespoke and individual service to horse owners in the area. He spends time every year in Argentina performing pre purchase examinations for clients importing horses to the UK. He is an avid polo player having played professionally for the last 20 years and sits on the Hurlingham Polo Association Welfare Committee to ensure high standards of care for polo ponies in this country.
He is married to Sarah and they have 2 young children that keep Mark busy away from work. He plays polo regularly throughout the summer months and is a keen skier during the winter.
Dr Ricki Watson
Ricki qualified from the University of Bristol in 2004, the same year as Mark. Having grown up eventing and playing polo in Gloucestershire, a career as an equine veterinarian soon became his ambition. After graduation he worked in a mixed practice in Sussex before taking a job at a large equine hospital in Buckinghamshire. He joined Mark to create Emerson & Watson in 2011 due to the expansion of the practice.
Ricki is married to Kathryn, a nutritional therapist and has 2 young children that at this stage are not remotely interested in horses! Out of work, he is a keen photographer and skier.
Dr Felicity Cobbold
Felicity, also known as Flick joined us in the Spring of 2021 and has quickly become a familiar face for our clients over the summer.
Flick grew up on the family farm in Suffolk where she spent her younger years working in and playing polo before spending 18 months working at Equibreed UK. While here she become attracted to the idea of being a vet and this was confirmed after spending time in veterinary centres in Australia and Argentina.
Flick qualified in 2019 from University of Surrey before completing an 18 month internship at Three Counties Equine Hospital in Gloucestershire, where they dealt with a large case load of competition horses and racehorses.
Flick’s main interests are stud and sports horse work medicine and she has recently started her Advanced Veterinary Practice Certificate in Medicine and Lameness.
Flick enjoys running with her dogs and beginning her return to playing polo.
Dr Bethany Pyzer
Beth joined Emerson & Watson in April 2022, having graduated from the University of Surrey in 2020.
Beth spent her teenage years surrounded by animals in the Cornish countryside, and spent her weekends competing with her local Pony Club in all disciplines, mainly show jumping. A career working with animals was inevitable, but it was clear during her time at university that her passion lay with horses.
Beth moved up from Cornwall to work at Emerson & Watson, after working as an equine only ambulatory vet there post-graduation. She enjoys all aspects of her job, but is especially interested in dentistry and medicine cases.
During her spare time, Beth is enjoying exploring the local area with her little spaniel, Tilly. She also loves paddleboarding, surfing and riding her two ponies when she visits home.
Dr Marine Metz
Marine joined us in March 2023. New to the area, she is looking forward to meeting clients and finding her way around the Thames Valley!
Originally from France, she qualified from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine CEU Cardenal Herrera in Valencia (Spain) in 2019.
After graduating she moved to the UK to undertake an equine internship at Hambleton Equine Clinic in North Yorkshire before working there as a first opinion Equine ambulatory vet. Her passion for horses, languages and travel took her further afield and in 2021 she joined Baker McVeigh International. During this period, she spent 18 months working with Thoroughbred racehorses and sport horses in Chantilly (France), Bahrain (Middle East) and Cape Town (South Africa).
She enjoys all aspects of equine clinical work, with a particular interest in medicine and poor performance investigations.
Outside of work, she enjoys catching up with friends and family, travelling, and spending as much time outdoors hiking or riding her horse Pretzel.
Dr Karen Chan
Karen joined us in the summer of 2023.
She qualified from the University of Edinburgh in 2019. During her final year, she completed externships at the Liphook Equine Hospital in Hampshire and the the American Fondouk in Morocco respectively. She then spent two years in an ambulatory equine practice in Cornwall.
In 2022 she returned to Liphook and undertook an 18-month internship where she spent majority of her time getting involved in lameness investigation and working alongside a team of specialists. She enjoys all aspects of equine work but has a keen interest in lameness/poor performance investigation and diagnostic imaging.
In her spare time, Karen enjoys playing both indoor and beach volleyball competitively. She also enjoys all things sporty and is often found bouldering and surfing.
Fi Watson
If Fi looks familiar, it’s because she’s been part of the Emerson and Watson team since March 2019. She first hit the road alongside her brother, Ricki, before working her way up to Practice Manager and now stepping into a Business Management role.
Horses have always been a huge part of Fi’s life—she played polo for 18 years and spent plenty of time grooming, from the prestigious St. Moritz Snow Polo to playing and grooming in New Zealand and Australia. She also ran a polo club in Gloucestershire before returning to eventing. In her spare time, she rides for a local yard and competes as often as possible.
When she’s not in the saddle, she’s likely trackside, sharing her family’s passion for motorsport. Whether as pit crew or supporting various family members and their racing cars, Fi is always in the heart of the action.
Shauna started with us in July 2024 after working in small animal veterinary practices for many years doing a range of Marketing, HR and Customer Service roles.
Shauna is our HR and Marketing Manager so can often be found reaching out to clients to celebrate success stories across our social platforms.
She loves hearing about the vets’ days and all our clients horses and interesting cases.
Away from the office, she enjoys riding her horse, exploring new locations with her dogs and finding new countries to visit.
Shauna Lopez
Krystal McCutcheon
Krystal joined our team in July 2024, bringing experience from a small animal veterinary practice and a background in hospitality, where she developed a love for customer service.
As a core member of our office team, Krystal is passionate about all things administration and keeps everything running smoothly with her keen organisational skills.
Outside of work, she spends her time with her daughter, pet and house sitting, and running a family dog rescue business. She also has a passion for horses, breeding and competing Spanish dressage horses. When she’s not caring for animals, you’ll likely find her at a concert enjoying live music.