Course Curriculum

Basic business skills

(at home study)

• Awareness of different business types
• Basic accounting practices
• Insurance
• Basic Contract Law
• Awareness of UK tax law
• Marketing
• Constructing a Business Plan

Introduction to Equine Podiatry

(2 day course plus home study)

• Registration
• Reading lists
• Course outline
• Outline of what Equine Podiatry is about – introduction to key concepts and key tenets
• Introduction to hoof anatomy, function and the major influencers of hoof health
• Demonstration dissection
• Awareness of scientific philosophy and methodology
• History of hoofcare including farriery and barefoot approaches
• Understanding of UK legislation pertaining to equine professionals

Anatomy and Physiology 1

(5 day course plus home study)

• Terminology relating to positional and directional views of the horse
• The major points and regions of the horse
• Colours and markings.
• The equine skeleton
• Conformation
• Major organs, organ systems and tissue groups of the horse
• Detailed anatomy from the knee/hock downwards:
• Bones, major ligaments, cartilages, bursae, joints, blood vessels, nerves and tendons
• The Stay Apparatus
• Macroscopic components of the hoof capsule and internal structures of the foot
• Physiology of the equine foot
• Shock absorption mechanisms
• Growth mechanisms
• Proprioception
• Moisture control mechanisms
• Infection mechanisms
• Circulatory system
• Healing mechanisms
• Carrying out an anatomy based research project

Diagnostics, Gait Analysis & Biomechanics

(3 day course plus home study)

• Assessment and scoring of body condition
• Assessment of digital pulses
• Understanding the use of hoof testers
• The role of nerve blocks
• Normal gaits, including pacing, tolt, etc.
• The phases of the stride
• Basic footfall analysis
• Gait Analysis, Biomechanics and Lameness Evaluation
• Advanced gait analysis and Biomechanics
• Common causes of lameness
• Veterinary disease terminology – e.g. Bog spavin, capped hock, windgalls, etc.
• Correct trajectories of major locomotive joints
• Typical conformation defects and their impact on the feet and vice versa
• Correct ways to take of photographs for records
• Radiographs and how they are taken – sufficient to allow the EP to work with a veterinary surgeon to obtain appropriate radiographs to enable correct trimming
• Interpretation of radiographs to a sufficient level to assist in hoof trimming
• Awareness of other relevant scanning techniques, eg, MRI scans
• Documentation and record keeping systems

Nutrition and Environment

(3 day course plus home study)

• The equine digestive system
• Essential nutrients
• Pasture and forage and the role of fibre in the diet
• Feeds and supplements
• Practical feeding guidelines
• Feeding and the influence on feet
• Hoof Infections and their influence on the equine foot
• How to recognise and manage hoof infections
• How feet adapt to different terrains
• Movement and its influence on the equine foot
• The mechanisms of hoof conditioning and the appropriate use of different surfaces
• Moisture and its influence on the equine foot
• Effect of different stabling/turnout regimes on the equine foot
• Other environmental influences on the equine foot
• Fitting and use of boots and sole support pads
• Understanding the influence and requirements of different equestrian disciplines on the equine foot
• Case studies on the role of the environment in influencing the equine foot

- Stage 1 Exam -

(Theory only exam)

Basic Trimming 1

(5 days practical plus home study)

• Other schools of barefoot trimming including Strasser, AANHCP, UKNHCP, HPT.
• Recap of relevant theory
• Risk assessment
• Appropriate protective clothing
• Tool use and care
• Understanding the full range of tools used by an EP
• How to trim a hoof capsule to achieve corrent balance and alignment
• Shoe and nail removal
• Use of Hoof Testers
• Basic tenets of good trimming practice
• Trimming (of horses, donkeys and mules)
• Development of foot assessment and documentation skills
• Research project on the effects of the trim on balance
• Role play on role of communication as an EP

Horse Behaviour and Handling

(2 days practical)

• The practical application of the science of behaviour
• Equine senses and their effects on behaviour
• Operant condition and the roles of positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment
• Classical conditioning
• The concepts of flooding, systematic desensitisation and counter conditioning
• Schedules of reinforcement and how they can be used and misused
• The importance of timing and consistency in communication
• Understanding and expanding comfort zones
• How to set realistic training goals
• How to create and use Shaping Plans
• The use of Shaping Plans for assessing behaviour
• The use of Shaping Plans for training
• Ensuring undesirable behaviour is not accidentally created
• Working with handlers
• Trimming positions and holds
• Awareness of issues surrounding use of sedation

Basic Trimming 2

(5 days practical plus home study)

• Review of trimming positions and holds
• Health and safety and risk assessment
• Trimming horses
• Assessing, planning, monitoring and reviewing a programmatic approach to a case
• Practical aspects of record keeping including taking appropriate photographs
• Assignment of mentors and instructions on how to conduct case studies
• Professionalism
• Understanding of the role of ethics in relation to both horse and client
• Understanding the EPA professional Code of Conduct, Standards for Practice and professional accountability
• Ability to recognise situations outside the EPs experience/remit
• Understanding when to involve a vet
• Understanding how to work with vets
• Communications with other professionals including methods of referral

- Stage 2 Exam -

(Practical exam)

On successful completion of the Stage 2 Exam, students will begin 4 x 6-month mentored case studies on non-pathological horses

Laminitis

(3 day course plus home study)

• Mechanisms of pathology in acute and chronic laminitis
• How to recognise laminitis
• Trimming approaches for laminitis
• Methods of assessing balance including the use of radiographs
• The importance of assessing tendon quality/length in laminitis cases
• The use of boots and therapeutic pads in the management of laminitis
• Recognising low grade laminitis and understanding its role in pathology
• Causes of laminitis - both mainstream research and new thinking
• Case management approaches for laminitis
• Preventative measures including the role of nutrition
• Grassland management

Pathology

(3 day course plus home study)

• Understanding appropriate interactions between various professions (including vets, farriers, osteopaths, chiropractors, dentists, saddle fitters, etc.).
• Balancing approaches and when to use them
• Collateral groove method
• Use of x-rays to determine balance
• T-square method
• Hoof pastern axis method
• Viable sole approach
• Foot-related pathologies and their mechanisms, how to deal with them and when to involve the vet.
• Navicular disease and Navicular syndrome
• Hoof Deformities
• Bone Pathologies
• Hoof Infections
• Abscesses
• Trauma Injuries
• Pathologies involving the soft tissues
• Flexural deformities

At this point, students will commence 4 x 6-month mentored case studies on horses with recognised foot pathologies

Awareness of Farriery

(1 day course plus home study)

• The philosophy and practical application of farriery
• How hooves are balanced prior to the application of a shoe
• Awareness of remedial farriery techniques including use of epoxies, etc.
• Understanding when to involve a farrier
• Understanding how to work with farriers

First Aid

(2 day course)

• Emergency first aid for humans
• Also short course on emergency first aid for equines

Anatomy and Physiology 2

(3 day course plus home study)

• An awareness of normal cell anatomy and physiology
• Awareness of the key microscopic structures of the hoof capsule and internal structures of the foot
• More detailed dissections
• More detailed physiology
• More advanced information on impact of nutrition on hoof horn quality

- Final Exam -

(Theory and practical exams)