A with-horse practical session at Newman's outside Asheville, NC addressed these questions:
Have you ever wondered how your horse’s muscles work?
Have you ever felt your horse mis-step and questioned what may have pulled?
Have you ever felt frustrated when a vet checks your horse over and suggests you go massage your equine and see if you can make your mount feel better?
(photo courtesy of Mike Scott)

Ann Stuart, DVM covered basic muscle physiology, function, and classic things that go wrong at rides – with individual participant - horse sessions;
Mike Scott, massage therapist, addressed best options for massaging out those issues – with individual participant - horse sessions;
Lisa Maxwell helped participants on how to condition muscles with ring work to avoid to a certain extent the pitfalls and trauma on trail -- with semi-private mounted sessions;
Stagg Newman brought it home on trail ride practice sessions merging the theory and ringwork into a practical endurance setting.
(photo courtesy of Mike Scott)

With Gene Ovnicek, we covered hooves, trimming, and demo shoeings (both therapeutic and normal).  Gene started with the principles and guidelines that make up the practice of Natural Balance® Hoof Care.  Natural Balance offers some tools and solutions to common problems that can benefit most horses, as well as their farrier and veterinarian. The clinic offered scientific and practical information that can be used by equine novice and professionals of all levels.  

The critical factors in balancing the hoof came back most frequently to ensuring that the breakover is in the optimum place -- defined by intersecting:
- approximately 1" behind the apex of the frog
- in the middle of the line that crosses the frog across where lines drawn from lines following the bars of the hoof; and
- a line straight across the widest part of the hoof.

In taking measurements, Gene left most of the hoof sole intact, only debriding the flaky parts off.  Most unusual was Gene's use of leverage and wedging to make the horse most comfortable.

Gene Ovnicek started in the classroom

And also checking which, if any, wedging might make the horse more comfortable.

What an information-packed day!  From a star-studded set of clinicians, ranging through field veterinarians, international competition coaches and veterinarians, university professors, and a competitor with over 20,000 competition miles.

Ann Stuart DVM on basic muscle anatomy and physiology
Brett Tennent-Brown DVM on paraphysiology of muscle myopathies
Ken Marcella DVM on diagnostics of myopathies / metabolics
Todd Holbrook DVM on prevention and treatment of muscle myopathies
Dinah Rojek on muscle conditioning