As well as the free content in the education zone, you can also register for webinars and online courses which Centaur Biomechanics delivers and hosts. Through Dr. Russell MacKechnie-Guire’s extensive collaborations and connections, we offer world class CPD and education direct to your laptop.
Broadcast across the word, the webinars are high quality and evidence based with an applied application. All delegates receive a 14-day access to the webinar recording, CPD certificates and live Q&A. The Centaur platform is becoming renowned for providing some of the best online educational opportunities.
Head and Neck Position in Ridden Horses: from a Biomechanical, Physiological and Behavioural Perspective
Sunday 13th October @ 14:00 HRS BST
Head and Neck Position in Ridden Horses: from a Biomechanical, Physiological and Behavioural Perspective
During ridden exercise, the position of the horse’s head and neck has received significant attention from a welfare, ethical, and training perspective. Attention has primarily been associated with horses ridden with their necks in an over-flexed position; whilst rules and regulations are in place to safeguard horses, there is still some confusion over what is an acceptable head and neck position and what effect various head and neck positions have on the horse.
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The Scale of Training: from a Biomechanical Perspective with Dr Russell MacKechnie-Guire
Thursday 17th October 2024 @ 19:00 HRS BST
The Scale of Training: from a Biomechanical Perspective
The scale of training is a foundational system followed by riders and trainers worldwide. Often visualised as a pyramid, the system provides a step-by-step framework for riders to review and guide training. With slow motion footage, this 2-hour session will discuss the scale of training from both an evidence-based and biomechanical perspective. This session should guide and complement training approaches that are biomechanically and ethically robust.
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The Girth Pain, Wither Pain and Stomach Ulcer Connection with Dr Ian Bidstrup
Saturday 19th October 2024 @ 10:00 HRS BST
The Girth Pain, Wither Pain and Stomach Ulcer Connection with Dr Ian Bidstrup
Girthy horses are quite common, and most horse riders consider girthiness a behavioural problem, or, if getting more obvious, that it is a sign the horse has stomach ulcers. The aim of this presentation is to explore the intricate web that being girthy is just part of. Spinal stiffness and nerve irritation, dropped back posture, wither tenderness and tension, shying, kissing spines, stomach ulcers, difficulty with saddle fit, canter lead problems, birth trauma and disengagement of the sacroiliac coupling are going to feature in this discussion of this wicked web. Additionally, we will go into user friendly home help for girthy horses that can complement professional care.
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How does the Equine Myofascial Kinetic Lines influence the posture and foot stance with Dr Rikke Shultz
Thursday 24th October 2024 @ 19:00 HRS BST
How does the Equine Myofascial Kinetic Lines influence the posture and foot stance with Dr Rikke Schultz
The foot stance in horses is traditionally being looked at from the hoof and toe, but when it is the muscles and fascia which controls the motion of the limbs and the posture, it makes sense to also look at it from above. The posture is determined from the best balance of the body in respect to specific tensions and possible pain patterns that the horse experience. The Equine Myofascial Kinetic Lines are functional anatomical and biomechanical “roadmaps” which can be used to asses the posture and tension and thereby get an idea of what influences the foot stance.
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Finding your line: Identifying & Treating Postural Patterns and Imbalances in the Rider to Improve Awareness and Enhance Neutral Alignment with Meredith Stephens
Saturday 2nd November 2024 @ 14:00 HRS GMT
Finding your line: Identifying & Treating Postural Patterns and Imbalances in the Rider to Improve Awareness and Enhance Neutral Alignment.
We live and ride in the field of gravity. Our inherent structural asymmetries, movement practices and habits all influence our posture. Associated postural compensations can be a source of altered alignment that can affect movement. Over time, our altered alignment becomes the ‘new neutral’ and we are not even aware that we are dis-oriented in space. In riding, the lack of postural awareness and asymmetry can impact the horse/rider relationship. Ultimately, malalignment can create weakness, influence movement strategies, riding biomechanics and cause degeneration in the spine and joints.
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Myofascial Kinetic Lines: from a Training & Rehabilitation Perspective with Dr Rikke Shultz
Sunday 24th November 2024 @ 14:00 HRS GMT
Myofascial Kinetic Lines: from a Training & Rehabilitation Perspective with Dr. Rikke Schultz
The fascinating 3D fascia provides support and participates in the biomechanics of the body. General information about fascia such as morphology, embryology, function, elasticity, contraction and scaring will be given as well as a 3D understanding of the fascia network.
The 11 Myofascial Kinetic Lines describe the motion of the spine, the front limbs and the relationship between the viscera and the somatic body. The anatomy and function of each line will be covered as well as challenges in riding when the horse has static contractions in the lines often causing reduced ability to perform.
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Conformation: A Biomechanical Perspective with Professor Hilary Clayton
Thursday 28th November 2024 @ 19:00 HRS GMT
Conformation: A Biomechanical Perspective
Have you ever wondered whether it’s better to select a horse with a long or a short back, a more or less angulated hock, high or low withers? Would you like to know which conformational features make it difficult for a horse to progress beyond the intermediate levels of competition? Are you curious about how training might change a horse’s posture and body shape? If so, you might enjoy this well-illustrated 2-hour session as it explores the pros and cons of a variety of conformational features of the neck, back and limbs in relation to how they affect the movement and performance of sport horses.
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Saddle Trauma, Saddle Fit and the Underbelly of Dressage Saddle Design with Dr Ian Bidstrup
Saturday 30th November 2024 @ 10:00 HRS GMT
Saddle Trauma, Saddle Fit and the Underbelly of Dressage Saddle Design with Dr Ian Bidstrup
We all desire for our horses to be comfortable under us. This presentation is aimed at helping horse riders and owners better understand saddle related back pain of horses, critical points of saddle fit, the structure of saddles and what design features they should look for in a saddle. We will progress through the symptoms and background of saddle trauma, looking at common pre-existing tension and tenderness and ways saddle design can reduce the impact on affected areas of the horse’s back. The saddle, of course, is a critical interface between the horse and rider. When things are not right horse welfare, posture, gait, and behaviour deteriorate, and any limb soreness a horse is living with gets stressed, often leading to overt lameness.
From the rider’s point of view, saddle designs are intended to give the rider freedom of movement, comfort, balance, and stability, and at the same time allow the rider to readily communicate aids to the horse underneath them. Desirably for the horse a saddle should be an interface that spreads the load of the rider’s weight well and stabilises the rider’s movement to keep the horse as stress free as possible under the rider. Sadly, ill-fitting, and inappropriately designed saddles are commonplace and when coupled with pre-existing back tenderness and tension, very commonly lead to damaging trauma in ridden horses.
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Clinical Aspects of Pelvic and Lumbar Issues and Ramification on Gait and Rideability with Dr Nadine Blum
Thursday 5th December 2024 @ 19:00 HRS GMT
Clinical Aspects of Pelvic and Lumbar Issues and Ramification on Gait and Rideability with Dr Nadine Plum
The pelvic region of the horse can be seen as the motor of propulsion and engagement, leaving the sacroiliac and lumbar region biomechanically prone to dysfunction and overuse issues.
Manual therapists have been pointing this out since decades. However, only by recent development of sophisticated imaging techniques equine veterinary medicine is now able to properly diagnose this challanging region.
Society´s interest in animal welfare in equitation is constantly growing and besides treating horses in case of disease we need to make sure to properly understand biomechanical ramification of athletic use to keep our sports partners healthy and content.
This webinar aims to give an overview of common cervical biomechanical dysfunctions, implications of different sacroiliac and lumbar disorders and insight into treatment and rehabilitation protocols.
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