Our Story

about us

Dr. Kara Robbins-Moret

Dr. Kara's journey into equine veterinary medicine began with her upbringing where she was participated in rodeo and the horse industry. This early exposure instilled a deep understanding and appreciation for the unique needs of equine athletes.

She completed her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University in 2022. Dr. Kara then pursued further training through 1-year internship at Littleton Equine Medical Center. She gained invaluable hands-on experience in general equine practice and emergency care, honing her diagnostic and treatment skills under the guidance of seasoned professionals.

Driven by her desire gain a deeper understanding of equine sports medicine, Dr. Kara pursued a 1-year sports medicine fellowship with mentors Dr. Will French and Dr. Terry Swanson, also at Littleton Equine Medical Center. During this fellowship, she worked on advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques for optimizing the health and performance of equine athletes.

Returning back to South Dakota, Dr. Kara hopes to use this knowledge to provide excellent care to the horses in the area. Outside of her professional career, Dr. Kara still tries to go to the occasional barrel race, continuing to foster her lifelong love for horses. Her unique blend of experience, education, and passion makes her a trusted advocate for equine health and welfare.

Morgan Anderson

Morgan has been with East River Equine since the beginning. She has developed into the business's right hand women that is essential to our daily work and is appointed "lab specialist."

Morgan has always been passionate about horses and avid barrel racer. A 2020 graduate of Brookings High School, Morgan co-founded M2 Performance Horses with her mother in 2021. Together, they built a facility that integrates cutting-edge equine therapies, including Aquatread, rehab services, PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy), and Equivibe therapy. Their goal is to enhance performance and support the well-being of the horse.

In addition to her work at M2 Performance Horses, Morgan competes in both amateur and WPRA (Women's Professional Rodeo Association) rodeos. Currently a cardholder with the WPRA, she is committed to pursuing her passion for rodeo while supporting the growth of her business and the advancement of equine care.

When she's not working with horses or competing in rodeos, Morgan enjoys furthering her knowledge in equine rehabilitation and performance, always looking for ways to provide the best care for the horses she trains.

Tayler Jutz

Tayler is a recent addition to the East River Equine team and has been essential to helping with daily tasks along with trying to keep Dr. Kara recent on paperwork and patient files. Tayler has also taken a strong interest in gastroscopy and endoscopy making her the go to during those diagnostics.

Tayler, a native of Litchfield, MN, is currently pursuing a degree in Agricultural Business with a minor in Equine Studies at South Dakota State University. Her passion for horses runs deep, inspired by her grandmother and mother. She has been competing in equestrian events since the age of five.

Outside of her equestrian pursuits, Tayler enjoys snowmobiling, spending time with her family, and relaxing at the lake.

Trace Brandenburger

Trace is the newest addition to the East River Equine team and has been vital over these past couple of months to keep everything moving smoothly. While you may see her zoned in on imputing critical paperwork, crunching numbers, or getting medication bags ready, her favorite part is getting to meet all the clients that walk through the door.

Trace is originally from Houston, TX but made her way to South Dakota to pursue her athletic journey on SDSU’s Division 1 Equestrian team. She received a bachelors in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering while getting a minor in Agricultural Business. She was a 2-time Western Captain, a SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) representative, and an FCA leader. After her time as a student athlete, Trace continued to help the Equestrian team as a volunteer assistant coach and Director of Operations, in hopes of impacting the student athletes and being able to grow their knowledge and love for horses in and out of the arena.

When she is not at the clinic, Trace enjoys spending time with her 3 dogs and 2 horses, hanging out with family and friends, and expressing her creative side through her photography business, Brandenburger Photography.

Megan Van Den Hemel

Megan VanDenHemel grew up in South Dakota and has always loved animals, though she didn’t grow up with horses. Over the years, that interest has grown into a true passion, and she enjoys every opportunity to learn more about them.

She’s now at South Dakota State University, majoring in Animal Science with a minor in Animal Health, and plans to attend vet school in the future. Working at East River Equine gives her the chance to build on that passion with hands-on experience in equine care.

When she’s not at the clinic or hitting the books, you’ll find Megan out kayaking, reading, exploring new places, or spending time with her dog, Bodie Blue. She’s proud to be part of a team dedicated to keeping horses healthy and supporting the people who care for them.

Kailee Berger

Kailee Berger is a junior animal science major at SDSU with minors in equine studies, chemistry, and animal health. Originally from Waubay, SD, she spends most of her time riding and barrel racing with her four horses — but when she’s not in the arena or hitting the books, you’ll find her hanging out with friends, reading a good book, or playing with her dog, Toast.

Kailee’s goal? Turn her passion for animals into a career as a veterinarian while still chasing fast times in the rodeo arena.

Mike Robbins

If something at the clinic breaks, leaks, squeaks, jams, rattles, falls off, falls apart, or mysteriously “just stopped working,” we have one solution: call Mike. Owner of Robbins Construction in Brookings, SD—and Dr. Kara’s dad—Mike is our resident jack-of-all-trades, fixer of all things, and reluctant hero of the maintenance world.

Mike’s skill set spans everything from major facility repairs, building Dr. Kara's newest crazy idea, and often showing up with different tools to help Dr. Kara remove a tiny wolf tooth. (Yes, that happened. Yes, he had the tool.) He has an uncanny ability to solve any and all problems, usually before we've finished saying, “Hey Mike, quick question…”

Though he insists he’s not our paid facility manager, his presence often says otherwise. Whether he’s patching, building, adjusting, or muttering good-naturedly under his breath, Mike keeps the clinic running—and often grabs a piece of candy on the way out.

We couldn’t do what we do without him… trust us, we’ve tried.

Lori Robbins

Lori has been apart of East River Equine before it even started. Her and her husband/East River Equine on-call contractor, Mike (and Dr. Kara's father) were the vision behind the property that East River Equine sits on today. She also is vital as a fill in assistant on Fridays or on-call. Lori helps with the behind the scenes bookwork and organization of the company.

Lori was born in Huron, SD, and has lived in Brookings since 1978. Although she had a passion for horses from childhood, Lori purchased her first horse at the age of 27 and has been involved with horses in one capacity or another ever since. She enjoyed watching her daughters, Kara and Shana, develop a passion for horses and competing in rodeo and barrel racing throughout the years. She currently competes in barrel racing with her horse Grey Grey.

Outside of horses, Lori works as the office manager for Robbins Construction and Ekern Plumbing and Heating. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, reading the occasional book, and taking time to relax with family.

Bobbie Chambers Wilson

Bobbie has been vital to the East River Equine family as a fill in assistant whenever it's needed. She always lights up the room with her smiling face and wonderful attitude.

Born in Clear Lake, SD, Bobbie gradually moved East with family and happily moved back to South Dakota in 2022. She started riding at the age of six and started her first horse job at the age of seven, cleaning stalls in exchange for riding lessons. In 2005, she began training for five years with two-time Olympic dressage competitor and trainer, Lendon Gray.

Bobbie currently has three beloved adopted horses: two off-the-track Thoroughbreds (Quick and Sweet) and a chocolate palomino Shetland pony named Cinnamon. She currently teaches recreational hunt seat and dressage riding to children and adults at Jessica Andronowitz's Bay View Farms in Brookings, SD. Bobbie also began teaching therapeutic riding (P.A.T.H. Standards) at Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Center and the S.T.A.R.S (Special Training and Riding Skills) in Brookings.

Along with her equestrian talents, Bobbie is passionate about bees and works as a Agroecology Specialist and Beekeeper at Ecdysis Foundation in Estelline, SD, as well as keeping bees at home!