Equine Body Balance Practitioner Certificate Program

For those students interested in continuing Equine Body Balance in the form of a certificate program to become a certified practitioner, welcome!

Equine Body Balance™ (EBB) is Equine Ortho-Bionomy® and specific classes serve as electives for the Ortho-Bionomy® human program. All the work brought into EBB will be non-force and moving in the direction of ease, meeting the equine where it is, in keeping with the basic principles of Ortho-Bionomy.  Equine Body Balance™ takes its lead from principles in common with Ortho-Bionomy®, changed slightly to accommodate the needs of the horse:

  • Change through natural and invited movement
  • Build in the pause
  • Less is more
  • Moving in the direction of comfort
  • Reflexive response
  • Exaggerating preferred position
  • Non-judgment
  • Meeting the animal where he/she is.

I have updated this page as of June 14, 2020 to note that some changes may apply to the program due to the Covid-19 virus. Ideally, students should be able to take the bulk of their studies in person, but due to our changing times, I am providing classes online to provide continuing education, without lapse in training.

Students may take any part of the certificate course at any time, but in order to receive a practitioner certificate, they will need to complete eight 16-hour courses and complete the following coursework.  There is an online self-study class called  Bodywork for Equines Online you can take at any time. Other courses will be forthcoming, but here is a list of some of what is available:

  • Introduction to Equine Ortho-Bionomy
  • Introduction to the Equine Spine
  • Bodywork for Equines Online
  • Inside the Equine Pelvis and Sacrum 
  • Introduction to the Equine Limbs
  • Conformation, Compensation or Both? 
  • Online Connect the Dots: Equine Lymph, Points and Fascia 
  • Rock & Roll – Posture & Post-Techniques
  • Stepping Out: Equine Limbs, Ligaments and Tendons
  • Reading the Horse
  • Explore Equine Fascial Networks
  • Equine Healing through Movement: Posture, Gait & Recovery
  • Mounted Body Balance (optional)
  • Other classes as presented (optional)

Homework will include:

Anatomy & Physiology (can be taken with Equinology® online www.equinology.com or comparable Equine Anatomy class – 50 hours)

50 documented sessions: These are individual cases where you work on a horse for approximately 1/2 hour to one hour each time. You will document various aspects of the horse’s health, what is presented and how you treated the horse using EBB. You need to work with different horses.

5 case studies. Working with the same horse you can offer a more expanded view of the case.

Additional work with Instructor:

3 Sessions for Feedback: Student works with the instructor on a horse, and the instructor offers feedback on the session the student conducted.

Private or Group consultations (6 hours): Consultations can evolve working one on one with the instructor or in a small group setting. (can be satisfied by Study Groups in part )

2 Study Groups: Equine Study Groups (3 hours each) will provide an opportunity to work in a  “mini-class” setting, bringing your questions and concerns as you navigate your practice. Consultations can be substituted for these Study Groups.

EBB Practice and Ethics: A one-day course or 2 half-day courses (4 hours or 8 hours) designed to help the student understand her/his role in practice, including the triangle horse-client-practitioner relationship, awareness of environment, protection of the horse while receiving a session, information to obtain, information for the client to know, how much and when to charge for services, etc. Also will touch on ethical issues that may come up. This class may have limited attendance so may done as a private consult in fewer hours (still counting as a course toward certificate).

The Tenets of Equine Health: A 1-Day Course focusing on the triangle of health: Teeth, Feet, Nutrition, plus additional vital pillars of health: movement, safety, and community. This class may be done as a private consult in fewer hours (still counting as a course toward certificate).

Two 16-hour Ortho-Bionomy Phase 4 fundamental classes: Spine or Extremities. Experiencing Ortho-Bionomy in the body is an important pre-requisite for the work on horses. If you can feel the work in your own body, you are better equipped to understand how to help horses. This requirement may take a different shape due to the Covid-19 virus and uncertainty surrounding availability of in-person classes.

The entire course comprises 233 hours = class time + field work.

Certification will occur based on the completion of the above requirements, as well as an evaluation and assessment of the individual’s interface with clients and larger role in the equine bodywork industry.

Our role in the industry and with the individual equine is to impart education without judgment. Occasionally we will be called upon to offer advice, or we may feel we need to offer guidance in given situations. Our clientele may span from the rescue horse, to the backyard pleasure horse, to high performance horses, so expectations will be different but equine care should always be of the highest caliber.

Classes such as Bodywork for Equines and Bodywork for Equines Online may be substituted for the Spine and Limbs classes. The Bodywork for Equines Online is equivalent to 16 hours of instruction.

There may be opportunities to substitute other life experience for courses such as the EBB Equine Practice & Ethics, or Anatomy if you have had good equine anatomy knowledge. Consultations may also be substituted for some of this course work if the class isn’t available in your area. Online classes will be available in some cases.

Contact me  if you wish to pursue the certificate program.