The Team

Sports Medicine support when and where you need it most

Dr. Melissa Aceto

Dr. Melissa Aceto hails from Orillia, Ontario, Canada, where she raised Quarter Horse and Appaloosa performance horses. She completed her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. I wanted to become a veterinarian to help support both my local community and my horse show community abroad. I love working with animals and, of course, their people. I enjoy following a horse’s journey with their owners, whether that be to treat a lameness in a highly competitive performance horse, to following a mare’s pregnancy to term, or to treating a tricky colic – I am humbled and grateful to be a part of each horse’s support network. I love riding and showing in reining, western pleasure and western riding. I’ve shown western pleasure and reining horses throughout Canada and the United States since I was a youth exhibitor. I continue to ride and show with my current show horses; Django, a QH reining gelding, and Codie, a QH pleasure horse. I also have three dogs; Lola, a Boston Terrier, Jada, a German Shepard, and Tina the Pug; plus two cats, Boots and Stevie.

Samantha Black

Sam Black, veterinary technician, grew up in Fowlerville, Michigan on a dead end dirt road where all the neighbors knew each other. Growing up her mom trained horses and her dad drove the race horses in the standard bred industry. Sam has always shared their love of horses and started off showing in 4-H. She was also a member of her high school equestrian team and later the MSU Western team. After graduation Sam went to work for Huss Performance Horses in Arizona where she learned a lot but discovered she did not want to be a horse trainer. Sam currently has a 7-year-old Quarter Horse Gelding that she enjoys riding during her free time and shows at reining. She also loves spending time with my friends and family going on trail rides, having bonfires, traveling and exploring the country. I love going to the horse shows. We get to meet new people and reconnect with current clients. I really enjoy helping the horse and the rider compete to the best of their ability. It is even more rewarding if I get to see them show.

Dr. R.A. Tony Rocconi

Dr. Rocconi is a 2003 graduate of Mississippi State University College of Veterinary medicine where he served as class president. After graduation he went to work at a busy racetrack to practice servicing the racing thoroughbred industry. He then moved on to Ocala, FL where he worked for 4 years on young thoroughbred race horses in training, reproduction, and sales work. He subsequently moved to Aubrey, TX where he pursued his passion for lameness and surgery. Then Dr. Rocconi entered the Equine Surgical Residency at MSU-CVM. A 3-year program where he also obtained his master’s degree in Veterinary Science. After completing his residency, he moved back to Texas and now owns and operates Mid-South Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery.