Shalyn Crawford, DVM ~ Owner/Operator

Dr. Shalyn Crawford was born and raised on the back of a horse, or pony at times. She has been riding show hunters since a young age and has spent most waking hours working with, riding, or generally enjoying horses. Dr. Crawford is a Virginia alum twice over, graduating Magna Cum Laude from James Madison University and then advancing to veterinary school at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. After graduating as a DVM, she went on to complete a competitive post-graduate internship in equine medicine, surgery, and general practice at the well-respected Blue Ridge Equine Clinic outside Charlottesville, VA. Dr. Crawford then came back to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and founded Four Star Equine in 2011 and has been providing on-farm care for the area’s horses ever since.

Outside of work Dr. C enjoys travel, gardening, reading, riding her Welsh cross "Chuck" and spending time with her husband, Eric, and daughter, Nora.

"Having owned horses my entire life I understand what it is like to be in your shoes when your horse is in need of veterinary care. My goal is to make each client feel as though they have personal one on one guidance in the care of their horse. Your horse's health is of the utmost importance to me and I look forward to working with you."
                                                   -Shalyn

Kathryn Ritenour, DVM

Dr. Katie Ritenour is a native of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, and spent her entire childhood here, often on the back of a horse or pony. She grew up riding show hunters. As an adult rider, Katie and her OTTB mare Ellie enjoy an occasional foxhunt or leisurely trail ride. Dr. Ritenour graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in Animal and Poultry Science in 2016 and remained in Blacksburg for veterinary school at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated from VMCVM in 2020. Her interests in equine medicine include dentistry, sports medicine, and podiatry.

Outside of work, Katie enjoys reading a good book, spending time in her flower gardens and going on adventures with her husband, Ryan, and golden retrievers, Oliver and Sophie.

Caroline Palmore, LVT

Caroline grew up in Hampton, VA and started riding horses at the age of ten. She worked at a small animal clinic called Kiln Creek Animal Care in high school and returned for part of her externship, and completed an externship at Blue Ridge Equine in the Earlysville, VA hospital. Then going on to graduate from Blue Ridge Community College’s Veterinary Technician program in 2023. After graduating Caroline worked at Anicira small animal hospital before transitioning to Four Star Equine, PLLC in January of 2025.

Katelyn Babcock ~ Patient Service Coordinator

Katie grew up in western Maryland and graduated from Penn Foster high school in 2017. As a young adult she found her lover for horses and has been enjoying trail riding since 2019, currently with her equine partner Ranger. Katie has worked as a Patient Service Coordinator for a Dental Clinic and Seven Bends Veterinary Hospital prior to working at Four Star Equine, PLLC.

Jacob Tellinghuisen ~ Accounts Receivable Coordinator

Jacob lived in western New York before moving to Virginia in 2005. His riding experience started when he was 19, dabbling in Western Disciplines and now Hunters. He enjoys working with young stock, trail riding and an occasional hunter-pace. Jacob originally joined the Four Star Equine, PLLC team in 2018, focusing on data entry to update the practices medical records. He rejoined the team in spring of 2025 in our accounts receivable department.