Jane Marie Manfredi, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVS-LA, DACVSMR (Equine) is the Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine.

The Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair was established in 1997 through the generosity of Mary Anne and Walter McPhail. The chair's objective is to foster research that will enhance performance and soundness of sport horses, particularly elite dressage horses, and to ensure that the research results are conveyed to those who will use them.

Manfredi plans to leverage her experience as a United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist and current FEI level dressage competitor to continue her research on horse/rider/tack interactions in order to enhance horse welfare. Further, her experiences growing up with horses have led her to focus her research on the inflammation at the intersection of equine endocrine and orthopedic disease, where she is a recognized leader of this emerging field. Manfredi has received numerous grants funded by national governments, state governments, foundations, industry, academic institutions, and private donors and is the head of the ENCORE (Equine and Comparative Orthopedic Rehabilitation and Endocrinology) Laboratory at MSU.

Dr. Stephanie Valberg

Stephanie Valberg was named the Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine in November of 2015 and retired in December of 2022. Valberg’s work in equine muscle disease has transformed equine clinical practice. Her research has led to the discovery of previously unknown muscle disorders, identification of their genetic basis, and development of nutritional strategies to minimize muscle pain. She was part of a team that developed the first feed used to treat tying up, and was a member of the team that sequenced the equine genome.

Dr. Hilary Clayton

Hilary Clayton was the first incumbent Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair. She held the position from June 1997 until April 2014. An equestrian, veterinarian, author, researcher, and clinician, she is known internationally for contributions to the understanding of equine biomechanics, particularly relating to performance and conditioning. Clayton’s targeted studies in bitting, saddle fit biometrics, kinematics and kinetics, and locomotion have provided valuable insight into the mechanics of equine sports, the interaction between rider and horse, and the effects of various rehabilitation techniques.

Mary Anne McPhail was an accomplished rider, trainer, and dressage judge and an extremely generous supporter of the equine industry and the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

Originally from Kentucky, McPhail's uncle owned a thoroughbred horse farm, which she visited often. When she was nine years old, her father bought Mary Anne her first horse. Later, as an adult with a family of her own, she helped set up a nursery school at an old estate in Bloomfield Hills. It didn't take long for McPhail and her husband, Walter, to purchase a number of horses to fill the pastures that surrounded the estate.

McPhail soon developed a strong interest in dressage, an interest that led her to fund the establishment of the Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine.