EQ100: Equinology® Equine Body Worker Certification (Fall 2024)
Date:
Cost:
Duration:
*This course has been approved for 64 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.
If you are serious about working professionally in equine bodywork, then you need to learn from the best. We urge you to compare programs before taking this enormous step in the direction of your future career – we don’t know of a better course to prepare you for this field.
This 9-day, 100+ hour course (actual course contact hours and independent evening and off-day assigned study) offers more than 320+ hours of education with the required precourse study (EQ50) and the 120-hour externship completed following the onsite course.
The Equinology® Approach was developed by Debranne Pattillo, MEEBW, founder of Equinology. This unique hands-on system addresses the whole body, implementing specific manual palpation methods to assess soft tissue and symmetry of muscle and structure, and utilizing detailed static and dynamic evaluation to inform the practitioner. Different bodywork techniques —including sports massage, soft tissue mobilization, stretching, range of motion and positioning exercises, as well as “focal” point work (stress and trigger points) — are combined to provide optimal support for horses working in every discipline.
This course emphasizes proper and safe techniques, assessment of the entire horse (including conformation and gait assessment), and introduces saddle fit and dentistry. The program stresses ethics and underlines marketing as well as proper documentation to accentuate working within the professional equine care industry. The class is presented with loads of hands-on practice time, specimens, illustrations and multimedia presentations.
There is more to bodywork sessions than just a recipe “routine.” You need to look at the whole animal, understand what you are seeing and utilize the skills you’ve been taught.
This course is not for everyone. It is for the serious students, those who strive to be leaders in their profession. We want students who wish to be part of the team caring for horses. We want them to be able to communicate effectively with the other team members. To do so, you have to know anatomy, understand the movement, recognize what is normal for a horse and be very aware of contraindications to bodywork.
While this course is specifically designed for students wishing to pursue a career in equine bodywork, it is also regularly attended by veterinarians, physical therapists, human massage therapists, equine massage therapists, trainers, barn managers and chiropractors who would like to enhance their skills. The course is taught in such a comprehensive, logical layered format that those with little or no complementary equine care and science background will find themselves up to speed with the other professional participants.
This class runs from 8:00am-5:30pm daily with 30 minutes for lunch and 3 hours of evening studies. Day 5 is spent out-of-class for independent study.
- Application of a full session as well as targeting specific areas
- Additional specialized techniques for session application
- Superficial, middle and deep muscle location and isolation
- Over 90 point locations
- Veterinary vocabulary and terminology
- Benefits of bodywork
- Contraindications of bodywork
- Bony landmark/surface anatomy identification
- Stretches for the session
- Work ethics
- Documenting sessions
- Conformation and gait analysis
- Injury
- Exercising the horse after a session
- Marketing
- Introduction to dental issues
- Introduction to saddle fitting issues
- Session assessment & observation forms included for business use
Participants must have good handling skills and be thoroughly comfortable working with horses before attending this course. Students must be confident and secure picking up horses’ legs and must be comfortable leading all types of horse personalities and dispositions.
Students must first register for the EQ50 Equine Anatomy Precourse Distance Study. While the exam does not need to be completed before attending the EQ100, participants must have knowledge of directional terms, veterinary vocabulary, and anatomy. Please plan to spend at least 100 hours reviewing the EQ50 study guide before arriving onsite for the EQ100.
If you already have a thorough understanding of this material (especially those professionals already in the healthcare industry such as veterinarians) please contact the office to clear this prerequisite.
*Successful completion of the EQ50 course (including exam) is required for the EEBW certification.
Please note: USA students must first read the law pertaining to their state before being allowed to register. The state laws vary and some states only allow veterinarians or direct supervision for animal care. Laws can change at any time and the EquiLearn Institute and Equinology are not responsible or accountable for changes in laws preventing individuals from participating in certain states.
Required Text:
Anatomy of Equine Bodywork: The Equinology® Approach
by Debranne Pattillo, MEEBW
$99 if purchased onsite, or can be purchased here.
Externship (included in tuition – students must attend all 9 days of class in order to submit):
Students need additional time to practice what they have learned in class, write cases studies and continue with extra learning activities so they can hone their skills, ask questions and improve hands-on skills before presenting themselves as a professional.
Our participants are so well prepared that we have a 98% pass rate for the externship. For this particular course, there’s an additional 120 hours of guided study once the student leaves the class (completed at home). Students complete 20 sessions on at least 5 different horses using all of the techniques taught in the class. There is also a home review portion included in the externship on muscle function, muscle identification, point location and gait assessment that is designed to enhance the material presented in the class.
Strongly Suggested Additional Text:
Color Atlas of Veterinary Anatomy: The Horse Volume 2 by Ashdown & Done
Clinical Anatomy of the Horse by Drs. Clayton and Flood
The Comprehensive Guide to Equine Veterinary Medicine by Dr. Barb Crabbe
Practical Guide to Lameness by Dr. Ted Stashak
Veterinary Medical Terminology by Romich (available through Cengage Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary)
Courtney Molino,
RVT, EEBW, CERP, CCRA, FEI Permitted Equine Therapist
Courtney founded Hands on Horses in 2004 to promote the overall wellness of companion and competitive animals. A registered veterinary nurse, Courtney completed the equine rehabilitation program through the University of Tennessee and is trained in the skills necessary to design and implement a comprehensive rehabilitation program for a variety of musculoskeletal and neurologic conditions. She received her certification in equine bodywork from Equinology® and offers both sports massage and myofascial release services to help keep the equine body in peak physical condition. Prior to Equinology, Courtney studied equine science and anatomy at Virginia Tech. In 2018, Courtney was approved to become an FEI Permitted Equine Therapist.
In 2006, a division focusing on canine bodywork was added. Courtney is certified in canine rehabilitation by the Canine Rehabilitation Institute. For several years, she saw patients at the Veterinary Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Group, a practice specializing in canine orthopedic and neurologic surgery and rehabilitation. At VOSM, Courtney worked with a wide variety of patients, from those on a maintenance bodywork program to those needing post-operative rehabilitation care or suffering from sport-specific muscle injuries.
Courtney is a frequent presenter of bodywork clinics and has been featured in numerous publications. She founded EquiLearn in 2019 and is excited to bring the excellent Equinology and Caninology curriculum to locations throughout the United States.
A $300 deposit is required to hold your spot in a course – the remainder of the tuition is due at least 30 days prior to the course start date. The $300 deposit is nonrefundable and nontransferable, and is credited to the total tuition for the course. Confirmation letters, course outlines, required pre-study (if applicable), directions and lodging options will be sent when the $300 deposit has been received.
*This course has been approved for 64 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.
If you are serious about working professionally in equine bodywork, then you need to learn from the best. We urge you to compare programs before taking this enormous step in the direction of your future career – we don’t know of a better course to prepare you for this field.
This 9-day, 100+ hour course (actual course contact hours and independent evening and off-day assigned study) offers more than 320+ hours of education with the required precourse study (EQ50) and the 120-hour externship completed following the onsite course.
The Equinology® Approach was developed by Debranne Pattillo, MEEBW, founder of Equinology. This unique hands-on system addresses the whole body, implementing specific manual palpation methods to assess soft tissue and symmetry of muscle and structure, and utilizing detailed static and dynamic evaluation to inform the practitioner. Different bodywork techniques —including sports massage, soft tissue mobilization, stretching, range of motion and positioning exercises, as well as “focal” point work (stress and trigger points) — are combined to provide optimal support for horses working in every discipline.
This course emphasizes proper and safe techniques, assessment of the entire horse (including conformation and gait assessment), and introduces saddle fit and dentistry. The program stresses ethics and underlines marketing as well as proper documentation to accentuate working within the professional equine care industry. The class is presented with loads of hands-on practice time, specimens, illustrations and multimedia presentations.
There is more to bodywork sessions than just a recipe “routine.” You need to look at the whole animal, understand what you are seeing and utilize the skills you’ve been taught.
This course is not for everyone. It is for the serious students, those who strive to be leaders in their profession. We want students who wish to be part of the team caring for horses. We want them to be able to communicate effectively with the other team members. To do so, you have to know anatomy, understand the movement, recognize what is normal for a horse and be very aware of contraindications to bodywork.
While this course is specifically designed for students wishing to pursue a career in equine bodywork, it is also regularly attended by veterinarians, physical therapists, human massage therapists, equine massage therapists, trainers, barn managers and chiropractors who would like to enhance their skills. The course is taught in such a comprehensive, logical layered format that those with little or no complementary equine care and science background will find themselves up to speed with the other professional participants.
This class runs from 8:00am-5:30pm daily with 30 minutes for lunch and 3 hours of evening studies. Day 5 is spent out-of-class for independent study.
- Application of a full session as well as targeting specific areas
- Additional specialized techniques for session application
- Superficial, middle and deep muscle location and isolation
- Over 90 point locations
- Veterinary vocabulary and terminology
- Benefits of bodywork
- Contraindications of bodywork
- Bony landmark/surface anatomy identification
- Stretches for the session
- Work ethics
- Documenting sessions
- Conformation and gait analysis
- Injury
- Exercising the horse after a session
- Marketing
- Introduction to dental issues
- Introduction to saddle fitting issues
- Session assessment & observation forms included for business use
Participants must have good handling skills and be thoroughly comfortable working with horses before attending this course. Students must be confident and secure picking up horses’ legs and must be comfortable leading all types of horse personalities and dispositions.
Students must first register for the EQ50 Equine Anatomy Precourse Distance Study. While the exam does not need to be completed before attending the EQ100, participants must have knowledge of directional terms, veterinary vocabulary, and anatomy. Please plan to spend at least 100 hours reviewing the EQ50 study guide before arriving onsite for the EQ100.
If you already have a thorough understanding of this material (especially those professionals already in the healthcare industry such as veterinarians) please contact the office to clear this prerequisite.
*Successful completion of the EQ50 course (including exam) is required for the EEBW certification.
Please note: USA students must first read the law pertaining to their state before being allowed to register. The state laws vary and some states only allow veterinarians or direct supervision for animal care. Laws can change at any time and the EquiLearn Institute and Equinology are not responsible or accountable for changes in laws preventing individuals from participating in certain states.
Required Text:
Anatomy of Equine Bodywork: The Equinology® Approach
by Debranne Pattillo, MEEBW
$99 if purchased onsite, or can be purchased here.
Externship (included in tuition – students must attend all 9 days of class in order to submit):
Students need additional time to practice what they have learned in class, write cases studies and continue with extra learning activities so they can hone their skills, ask questions and improve hands-on skills before presenting themselves as a professional.
Our participants are so well prepared that we have a 98% pass rate for the externship. For this particular course, there’s an additional 120 hours of guided study once the student leaves the class (completed at home). Students complete 20 sessions on at least 5 different horses using all of the techniques taught in the class. There is also a home review portion included in the externship on muscle function, muscle identification, point location and gait assessment that is designed to enhance the material presented in the class.
Strongly Suggested Additional Text:
Color Atlas of Veterinary Anatomy: The Horse Volume 2 by Ashdown & Done
Clinical Anatomy of the Horse by Drs. Clayton and Flood
The Comprehensive Guide to Equine Veterinary Medicine by Dr. Barb Crabbe
Practical Guide to Lameness by Dr. Ted Stashak
Veterinary Medical Terminology by Romich (available through Cengage Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary)
Courtney Molino,
RVT, EEBW, CERP, CCRA, FEI Permitted Equine Therapist
Courtney founded Hands on Horses in 2004 to promote the overall wellness of companion and competitive animals. A registered veterinary nurse, Courtney completed the equine rehabilitation program through the University of Tennessee and is trained in the skills necessary to design and implement a comprehensive rehabilitation program for a variety of musculoskeletal and neurologic conditions. She received her certification in equine bodywork from Equinology® and offers both sports massage and myofascial release services to help keep the equine body in peak physical condition. Prior to Equinology, Courtney studied equine science and anatomy at Virginia Tech. In 2018, Courtney was approved to become an FEI Permitted Equine Therapist.
In 2006, a division focusing on canine bodywork was added. Courtney is certified in canine rehabilitation by the Canine Rehabilitation Institute. For several years, she saw patients at the Veterinary Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Group, a practice specializing in canine orthopedic and neurologic surgery and rehabilitation. At VOSM, Courtney worked with a wide variety of patients, from those on a maintenance bodywork program to those needing post-operative rehabilitation care or suffering from sport-specific muscle injuries.
Courtney is a frequent presenter of bodywork clinics and has been featured in numerous publications. She founded EquiLearn in 2019 and is excited to bring the excellent Equinology and Caninology curriculum to locations throughout the United States.
A $300 deposit is required to hold your spot in a course – the remainder of the tuition is due at least 30 days prior to the course start date. The $300 deposit is nonrefundable and nontransferable, and is credited to the total tuition for the course. Confirmation letters, course outlines, required pre-study (if applicable), directions and lodging options will be sent when the $300 deposit has been received.