Meet Our Equine Team

Dr. Ott has been a veterinarian at Cleary Lake since 1987. She and Dr. Hermann purchased the practice in 1998 and she has been the "Boss Mare" ever since! Her professional interests include equine sports medicine, equine reproduction, behavior and acupuncture. In her spare time, Dr. Ott shows hunters and jumpers and raises one or two foals each year at her farm, Wild Horse Hill. She also enjoys cross-country skiing and hiking. She has an enthusiastic German Shepherd, Myrtle, as well as two cats, Yertle and Abra-cat-dabra. She also serves as the Zone Chairman of the United States Equestrian Federation Jumper Committee.

Dr. Hermann was raised on a small hobby farm in Prior Lake, MN. He was active in 4-H with his brothers for many years. He began working for Dr. Bill Sweeney at Equine Medical Center as a high school student in 1977. After graduating from high school, he went on to Iowa State University and graduated from veterinary school in 1986. He returned to Equine Medical Center as a veterinarian. Dr. Kathy Ott and Dr. Hermann were married in 1995. In 1998, they purchased the clinic from Dr. Sweeney. In 2004, they moved the facility to its current location, changing the name to Cleary Lake Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Hermann's medical interests include surgery, dentistry, and practice management. In his free time, he enjoys reading and book collecting, hiking, cross country skiing, and working around the farm (he can often be found on his John Deere tractor). Dr. Hermann and Nemo the cat have a mutual understanding.

Dr. Selvig grew up in Webster, Minnesota, and after learning to ride on her mom's Arabian and her own rescued pinto pony, began competing in eventing, dressage and polocrosse. She was active in Pony Club, earning her HA rating, and spent several years in high school working at Equine Medical Center at its old location before starting college. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior in 2003, and with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2007. She joined Cleary Lake as a veterinarian in 2007 and worked several summers at Canterbury Park as a racetrack practitioner. In January 2023 she became an owner in the practice. Dr. Jen's professional interests include equine sports medicine and rehabilitation, chiropractic, acupuncture, and working with off-the-track thoroughbreds. She is a freelance writer for The Horse magazine and is on the national board of CANTER USA, a nonprofit dedicated to finding second careers for ex-racehorses. She is also the current president of the Minnesota Association of Equine Practitioners.

Outside of work, Dr. Jen owns and operates Stargazer Farm, a horse boarding and training facility, with her husband Ben, a human physician. They have two fabulous kids, Riley and Zoey. The farm is home to Dr. Jen's menagerie: (probably too many) horses, a donkey, two alpacas, three dwarf goats, a pot-bellied pig, three dogs, five-ish cats, a flock of chickens, and a pair of opinionated peafowl. In whatever time she has left, she still competes her horses in three-day eventing, loves to travel, and enjoys running, lifting weights, and yoga. She's a self-proclaimed nerd and knows way too much useless Star Wars and Lord of the Rings trivia.

Dr. Terwey joined Cleary Lake in 2006. She graduated from the College of St. Benedict in 1999 and from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. She works exclusively with horses and has a strong interest in providing comprehensive veterinary care. She enjoys building relationships with clients and their horses to provide the best continued health care possible. Her professional interests are dentistry and emergency medicine.

Dr. Young grew up in the Twin Cities, where her equine interests began at a young age. She had the opportunity to ride and learn on many different horses and competed in the hunter/jumpers. She continued riding through college on the intercollegiate equestrian team and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota Crookston. Upon returning to the Twin Cities for veterinary school, she received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2023. During veterinary school, she worked as a technician at the University's Piper Equine and Large Animal Hospital and was involved in the student AAEP (equine) chapter. She completed a 1-year veterinary internship at Anoka Equine after graduation, gaining experience in all facets of equine medicine, field care, and surgery. Selena's professional interests include preventative medicine, emergency care, and sports medicine, but she enjoys it all. Most of her free time is spent staying active at a local CrossFit gym or riding horses. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends and anything outdoors.

Dr. Mackenzie Paffel is originally from Spooner, Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin River Falls where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science in 2020. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Minnesota in 2025. Mackenzie is excited to intern in equine medicine at Cleary Lake Veterinary Hospital and learn alongside her new colleagues. Her professional interests include animal behavior, preventative medicine, and equine reproduction.

In her free time, Mackenzie enjoys spending time with her mule -Turtle, chocolate labrador -Tiki, and two guinea pigs -Derby and Dory.