Haley Palmer

Haley grew up in Aptos, where she decided to be a veterinarian when she was just 5 years old. She grew up riding horses and ponies and got her very own first horse, Poet, when she was 10.
Poet was a driving force in Haley’s ultimate pursuit of a career in equine medicine, as they had dealt with many ”mystery lamenesses” throughout their time together. Watching the veterinarians perform lameness exams and specialized imaging and diagnostics, as well as the efforts Haley and Poet spent on physical therapy and recovery, fueled her interest in orthopedics, sports medicine, and rehabilitation.

Haley earned her Bachelors in Animal Science and her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) at UC Davis. She is also certified in Veterinary Medical Acupuncture. Along the way, she worked with racehorses at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, helping with studies to advance our understanding of drug pharmacology in horses and improve racehorse welfare. Dr. Palmer is considering pursuing a Residency in Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. She’s also interested in doing research, particularly on musculoskeletal issues like laminitis.

Haley currently has a 5-year-old Shagya Arabian mare named Gemma, who she is training under saddle with the goal of doing dressage, jumping, and trail riding — for fun, not competitively. She also has four very beloved dogs who live at home with her family. When not working, Haley can be found at the barn spending time with her horse, and also loves traveling and exploring new places, baking, drawing/painting, and hanging out with her family and friends.