Professor Christopher C. Pollitt – BVSc (Massey) PhD (Qld)
Chris Pollitt graduated BVSc from Massey University, New Zealand in 1968 and was a practising veterinary surgeon in New Zealand, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland until commencing PhD studies in the Physiology Department of The University of Queensland. His PhD on the Genetic Variation of Equine Plasma Proteins was awarded in 1984 the year that Chris joined the School of Veterinary Science as the lecturer in equine medicine.
He has developed an international reputation in the field of equine foot biology and disease pathogenesis principally because of his work on ‘laminitis’ the most important disease of the horse’s foot. To generate a critical mass of research personnel Dr Pollitt, in 1996, created the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit, which has become internationally competitive having attracted, in the last 8 years, over $3 million in research funding including a current $110,000 Australia Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation grant entitled “Laminitis treatment by regional drug delivery to the horse’s foot”.
With the mission of “Elucidating the mechanism of laminitis to make laminitis a preventable disease” the unit has become an international focus of laminitis and equine foot biology research. Five post doctorate research fellows have worked in the unit since 1996. At present, Dr Pollitt is supervising/co-supervising 4 PhD MPhil students and has previously successfully supervised 12 post graduate students.
Prof Pollitt has 73 publications in international peer-reviewed journals and over 100 conference proceedings. On invitation he has written chapters on equine laminitis in modern textbooks of equine medicine and lameness including Ross and Dyson’s 2010 ‘The diagnosis and Management of lameness in the Horse 2nd Ed.. His own textbook Colour Atlas of the Horse’s Foot has been reprinted four times and has been published in German, Japanese and Spanish editions. He is under contract to produce a second edition, in text book format, entitled “The illustrated horse foot”. In 2009 he revised the RIRDC publication “Equine laminitis – current concepts” [more info] and has subsequently co-authored with Katie Watts “Equine Laminitis – Managing pasture to reduce the risk” – [more info] co-authored with Brian Hampson “Improving the Foot Health of the Domestic Horse: The relevance of the feral horse foot model” – [more info] co-authored with Longbin Huang “Transfer of Weeds to Queensland Native Forests by Horse Faeces” – [more info] and co-authored with Melody de Laat “Insulin induced laminitis – an investigation into the disease mechanism” – [more info]
In 2001, he was invited to give a prestigious 4 hour master class on Equine Laminitis at the British Equine Veterinary Association annual scientific meeting and repeated this performance for the American Association of Equine Practitioners congress in 2003. As an invited speaker he has contributed to both Havemeyer Foundation workshops on Equine Laminitis in 2007 and 2012. He has enthusiastically promoted the name of The University of Queensland and its School of Veterinary Science in the 19 countries where, on invitation, he has presented his equine laminitis research findings.
He is a foundation member of the organizing committee of the biannual International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot. In 1997 Chris was inducted into American Farrier’s International Hall of Fame for his contributions to education on the horse’s foot. In 1997 he received the RIRDC-Vetsearch Equine Research Award as Equine Researcher of the Year for laminitis studies and in 2003 received the Pfizer Scientific Award. The Ian Clunies Ross Award for outstanding contributions to veterinary science in Australia and New Zealand was awarded in 2006 and in London, the same year, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers for services promoting scientific understanding of the horse foot.
Dr. Cameron Hinkley
Also known as “Dr. Cam” is a well respected and dedicated Equine Specialist helping horses and owners.
He is based in Longwarry, Victoria at Essential Equine Veterinary
He can be reached at 0400 111 838 during business hours.
Visit Essential Equine FB [click here]
Kerry Ridgway DVM
One of the USA’s premier national and international lecturers and clinicians in the field of “Integrative Equine Medicine.” His passion for horses, extending from his childhood in Montana to this day, likely comes from his father who was a professional horse guide in Yellowstone National Park and an avid rodeo professional as well as ranching in Montana.
Kerry, as he prefers to be called, graduated from Montana State University with a degree in Chemistry and then graduated 2nd in his class with honors from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University. He received the highest score in the nation that year on the National Veterinary Board Examinations.
Very active in Equine Sports Medicine, Dr Ridgway was a charter member and officer for the international organization, the “Association for Equine Sports Medicine” (AESM). His work with the sport of endurance has spanned from 1967 to the present time. He served a total of nine years as the chair of the veterinary advisory committee to the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) and was elected to the AERC Hall of Fame in 1989. Having served as an endurance judge for over 300 rides, many as the head veterinarian, he was the first “approved” FEI judge when endurance became an FEI recognized discipline.
In 1986, he was overcome with Lyme disease and had to give up his conventional medicine practice. After a long period in which allopathic medicine did not provide adequate help, he gradually recovered his health through the use of “Integrative Medicine” in the form of acupuncture, chiropractic, nutritional therapy and homeopathy. The disease that altered his life he often describes as the best thing that ever happened to him. It allowed him to see the importance of looking at health and the body from both a conventional as well as alternative options. His illness set him on the goal of always seeking the root cause and not just treating the symptoms.
Excellent responses to these alternative options set him on the path and mission that he pursues today. That mission is to work with veterinarians, trainers, hoof care professionals, equine body workers, and the riding public to integrate the best of “alternative therapies” with the best of veterinary allopathic conventional medicine. Critical and integral to the enhancement and treatment of performance issues; many of Dr. Ridgway’s seminars integrate the importance and role of saddle fit and properly balanced feet. He does a superb job of helping seminar attendees become more educated consumers.
Dr. Ridgway places great emphasis on, in his words, “An integrated team approach is the best hope for prevention and treatment of equine injuries.”
Dr. Ridgway’s website: click here
Robert M. Bowker VMD, PhD
Bob grew up in northern New England before going to undergraduate school in Massachusetts and then on to veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania. Following graduation he continued his studies in neurobiology, receiving his PhD and continuing on at several major universities in the U.S. His research interests in horses began in the early 90’s when he began focusing upon understanding how nerves aid and improve foot function, how horses use the many sensations present in the foot to negotiate within its environment and how the foot dissipates energy and supports the horse during health and disease conditions. He has presented his results to numerous international and national audiences over the past ten plus years. He enjoys teaching interested groups about the foot as he believes that a healthy foot translates to a healthy horse. Some of his research is not controversial and is accepted and confirmed by a variety of educated interest groups.
Website click here
Dr. Geertsema
An equine veterinarian close to Vancouver, BC, Canada. He started out as a farrier while going to vet school, and still has a great interest in the foot and podiatry. He was there at the beginning of the barefoot movement and is still riding and trimming barefoot horses today. He owns several horses and likes to do ranch and backcountry riding.
work 604-857-5432
mobile 604-729-2970
hermen@geertsema.ca
website click here
Vision is the art of seeing the invisible. Jonathon Swift
Claudia Garner
Has been a professional horsewoman for over 35 years. She is licensed in her native Germany as a trainer and instructor (Bereiter FN) and as a judge for horse shows in all disciplines. She has been instructing riders and horse owners in Europe, North America, Africa and Australia.
She came to the US in 1986 and has been training horses primarily in dressage through all levels at her own Horrell Hill Dressage Center near Columbia, SC. She has been certified in the US as an instructor through ARIA and has been a recorded dressage judge.
In 2001 she embarked on the path of barefoot hoof care, enrolled in a Professional Hoofcare training program in 2003 and graduated after a year of studies. Horrell Hill Dressage Center was changed into a Hoof Clinic where horses could come to be trimmed and heal from navicular syndrome, founder and many undiagnosed mystery lameness.
In her quest to share the accumulated knowledge with other horse enthusiasts, Claudia has developed an on-line holistic hoofcare course. She is enthusiastic about the promise to share her knowledge with all horse lovers.
In the third year of holding the strings at Equine Soundness and being the principal instructor, Claudia closed the Hoof Clinic and kept horses just for the students to practice their trim skills.
In 2013 she started to become a distributor for Stance Equine products in the US, transferred the responsibility for the school to Carola Adolf, a long time trusted friend, and stayed on as technical advisor for Equine Soundness.
For more information about Claudia’s accomplishments, please click here
Christian Langeder
Christian Langeder from Thorough Performance is an Equine Soft Tissue Therapist specialising in the muscular care of performance horses. His work with animals began in 1999.
He works with horses in all manner of sport including Racing, Eventing, Dressage and Polo. Some of the horses he treats include Cranbourne cup winners Blue Collar Jack and Boom N Zoom, 2011 Perth Cup winner Guestwing, 2010 Mumm Stakes winner Status symbol. In Dressage, Cipriani, Mayfly, Avignon IV, AEA Metallic, Ritual and Kennedy WE are among some of the horses in his care.
A pioneer, published author & Key Note speaker for the Bowen Therapist Federation Annual conference, his methods are based on all Australian modalities and he’s an expert in the nature of Nerve, Fascia and Muscle. His perspective on how the body works allows him to rectify muscular soreness and restriction in a very unique way, soreness just seems to disappear.
Horse performance is an exciting part of Christian’s profession. He considers these horses to be athletes and much like AFL players, they need to be physically maintained if they are expected to perform at their best. From preparation, competing, recovery to being spelled, the whole campaign benefits from maintaining each horse as an athlete.
In 2012 Christian created an anatomy chart and filmed a series of videos . The films were designed to teach owners, riders and trainers how to diagnose what he termed “Reaction Points” ™ of equine back soreness and the surprising effects soft tissue therapies can have on sore animals.
Rebecca Cooper
Rebecca Cooper from ReQuest Soft Tissue Therapies is a qualified Bowen Therapist (for people, horses and dogs) and Emmett Therapist (for people and horses).
A lifetime spent riding, working with and watching horses, allows her a unique insight into equine biomechanics, interaction with the rider and the effects of differing training techniques upon the horse. This insight often provides clues to unsoundness that may have otherwise been overlooked.
Not only working on our equine partners, Rebecca also treats riders and equine professionals as pain, discomfort and asymmetry is not the sole domain of the horse, as anyone who has experienced an unexpected dismount will confirm. Rebecca has provider status with a most of health funds so a claim can be made for those with appropriate cover.
For more information please visit the website [click here]
Catherine Bird
I have been one of Australia’s leading equine natural health professionals and based in Sydney. My experience working with horses goes back more than two decades from newborn thoroughbred foals and following them through all stages of racing, Olympic level competitors, NSW Mounted Police, mounts selected by various countries at the Sydney Paralympic Games 2000, and horses special to their owners. I also maintain a loyal clientele of humans.
I am the author of Horse Scents (Making Sense with Your Horse Using Aromatherapy) and A Healthy Horse the Natural Way published by New Holland Publishers and in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, as well as through Lyons Press in the United States. Both publications are now out of print but I am working on several eBooks to be released this year. I have provided the Equine Aromatherapy Correspondence Course since 1999 which boasts graduates on all continents.