Rick Mitchell graduated from the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1974. He served on active duty in the USAF Veterinary Corps for two years following graduation. He then began private practice in Connecticut with his mentor, Dr. Howard Raven in 1976. Rick is a founder and former partner of NVA Fairfield Equine Associates in Newtown, Conn., where he practiced equine medicine and surgery with an emphasis on lameness and imaging. Rick has been internationally certified in veterinary acupuncture (IVAS) and equine locomotor pathology (ISELP), is a certified radiation safety officer, and he completed requirements for Diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR) in 2015.  

Rick has been involved in national and international equine competitions as both a rider and veterinarian. As a rider, he has won two national championships and one world championship in various disciplines. He has authored multiple nationally and internationally published articles and textbook chapters on equine health care. He has been an invited speaker on sport horse medicine in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, South America, Africa, India, and Mexico. Rick has served on multiple Boards of Directors including the American Horse Shows Association, Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Rick was chairman of the of the Advisory Council of the Foundation for the Horse from 2016 through 2022. He is served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Horse Council from 2021-2024. Rick was also a founding member of the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology and served on the society’s board of directors for sixteen years. 2016 marked his sixth visit to the Olympic Games as an attending veterinarian for the US Equestrian Team. Rick was recognized as a distinguished life member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and as a distinguished alumnus of Oklahoma State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022.