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SIDELINESMAGAZINE | November/December 2026
S I D E L I N E S • 2 0 2 6 H O R S E P E O P L E O F T H E Y E A R
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SIDELINESMAGAZINE | November/December 2026
SARAH COHEN
Sarah Cohen is an exceptionally respected and accomplished veterinarian within the hunter-jumper
community, known not only for her clinical expertise but also for her unwavering dedication to her
family as a wife and mother. As the founder of Equity Performance Equine (EPE), she has built a
collaborative network of compassionate, highly skilled veterinarians who prioritize both excellence
in patient care and meaningful partnerships with their clients, helping horse-and-rider teams achieve
success in and out of the ring. The EPE culture is unlike that of any other vet practice in our industry.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Sarah exemplifies a sustainable lifestyle for
veterinarians. She is helping redefine what success looks like in the equestrian industry by
demonstrating that it is possible to excel as a veterinarian, horsewoman, business owner, wife and
mother. Through her leadership and example, she is paving the way for a healthier, more supportive
culture within the profession and inspiring young veterinarians to pursue fulfilling careers without
sacrificing personal goals and well-being.
Dr. Cohen knew what she wanted to be from a very young age—a horse doctor. Growing up
in New Jersey, she showed in the hunters and equitation before attending Purdue University for
her undergraduate education. She graduated from Ross University in June 2007 after completing
her clinical training at Iowa State University. She subsequently completed a one-year intensive
internship at Merritt and Associates Equine
Hospital outside of Chicago before joining Miller
& Associates in 2008. She founded Equity
Performance Equine in the fall of 2020 with a
bold set of ideas to build a practice very different
from what currently existed in the market.
With nearly two decades in practice, she works
mostly with hunters and jumpers with many of her
clients competing in top hunter competition or at
the five-star level; however, that did not guarantee
success when she set out to launch a new practice
during a pandemic and with an unconventional
model that was horse, rider and employee first.
She stayed true to her values, remaining focused
on a horse-first approach while keeping these top
athletes in excellent form. Less than a footnote to
this story, she was also a new mother, welcoming
her second daughter within the same two-year span
during which she launched a brand-new practice.
EPE has continued to grow since it’s inception,
just as Sarah’s family, team and business acumen
has. Even more impressively, she has been an
excellent role model and business leader for young
veterinarians in the industry as well as at home for
her daughters, now 8 and 10. Equine sport horse
medicine is a challenging career path that comes
with demanding hours, a lot of travel, time away
from home, late nights, phone calls at all hours and
a lot of student debt for some of us. Dr. Cohen
has created a veterinary practice that has a culture
like no other. The practice’s values are empathy,
respect, humor, adaptability and excellence, with
an emphasis on giving veterinarians a voice in the
practice and a stake in its future. Her husband,
Lance, is no stranger around the vet practice. He
did not ride or work with horses, but once he
met Sarah, they inspired one another to question
what “great” really is and strive for it. Lance is
an executive who’s built businesses in sports
and media, and together they have grown their
professional careers while supporting each other
and raising their girls.
Sarah and Lance split their time between
Torch Lake near Traverse City, Michigan, and
Wellington, Florida, with their two daughters,
Evelyn and June, and their dogs. Evelyn and
June have watched Sarah build Equity and know
that if the opportunity they want doesn’t exist, be
like mom and go out there and build it—a good
reminder for all of us.
~Victoria Duggan
Photo by Laura Elser