Equine Dry Needling

Globally, the Equine Dry Needling - Hybrid (EQ-DN) course is designed for veterinarians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and chiropractors interested in equine myofascial pain management. The 1+2-day Equine Dry Needling hybrid online and in-person course includes a 1-day online section that students must complete before the course's live section. This course will introduce health professionals to the management of equine myofascial pain using dry needling therapies. The EQ-DN course includes the management of 20 equine muscles. Future advanced-level equine dry needling courses will expand upon the treatment options dependent upon interest.

NOTE: In the US, Canada, and other countries, physical therapists and occupational therapists may not be able to use equine dry needling without a veterinarian's permission or because of legal restrictions. Before using equine dry needling in clinical practice, please check your national, state, and provincial laws and regulations.

The class size is limited to 24 students.

The course instructors are Dr. María Resano and Maria Calatayud, two Spanish clinicians and researchers who specialize in equine physiotherapy and rehabilitation. 

There are no required textbooks for this course, but we recommend

Dommerholt, J & Fernández De Las Peñas, C 2018. Trigger point dry needling; an evidenced and clinical-based approach. Edinburgh, Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone.  Available at checkout.

Pauli Gronberg 2015. ABC of the Horse Atlas. 6th edition. Otava Book Printing Ltd.

None

The live part of the course consists of 2 days focused on the practical aspects of equine dry needling working with horses. Each day starts at 8:00 am until 5:30 pm. The live course will include brief summaries and highlights of the theoretical classes that students completed in the online section of the course before the live course. Each day will have two 15-minute Q&A sessions and one hour for lunch.

Note: Actual times may vary with each program at the discretion of the instructors. Coffee breaks are provided; meals are on your own.

Day 1 

07:30-08:00      Registration

08:00-08:30      Welcome Lecture: Brief review of the online course

08:30-09:00      Lecture: Anatomy and Dry Needling Techniques of the Neck

09:00-09:30      Lecture: Anatomy and Dry Needling Techniques of the Back

09:30-09:45      Questions & Answers                  

09:45-10:30      Clinical Cases

<10:30-11:00    Lab: Dry Needling - Students

11:00-01:00      Lab: Dry Needling - the Back

01;00-02:00      Lunch

02:10-02:30      Lab/Demonstration: Dynamic assessment (arena)

02:30-04:30      Lab: Dry Needling - the Neck

04:30-05:30      Lab: Dry Needling Review plus Q&A

Day 2 

08:00-08:30       Lecture: Anatomy and Dry Needling Techniques of the Forelimbs

08:30-09:00       Lecture: Anatomy and Dry Needling Techniques of the Hindlimbs

09:00-09:30       Clinical Cases

09:30-09:45       Questions & Answers

09:45-12:00       Lab: Dry Needling - Forelimb Muscles

12:00-01:00       Lunch

01:00-03:00       Lab: Dry Needling - Hindlimb Muscles

03:00-04:00       Lab: Dry Needling Review plus Q&A

04:00-05:00       Practical Exam

05:00-05:30       Summary & Conclusions

Veterinarians

Residents of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

Physical Therapists (dependent upon jurisdiction)

Occupational Therapists (dependent upon jurisdiction)

Chiropractors (dependent upon jurisdiction)

Familiarity with or a strong interest in equine therapy is required.

The Equine Dry Needling course has been approved by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards RACE committee for 23 hours (Veterinary - Medical). CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1251440.

The course instructors have been approved by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards RACE committee.

The course has been registered with the following Boards and Associations (Veterinary - Medical for 23 hours):

Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Alaska Board of Veterinary Examiners

Alberta Veterinary Medical Association

Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board

California Veterinary Medical Board

College of Veterinarians of British Columbia

College of Veterinarians of Ontario

Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine

Connecticut State Board of Veterinary Medicine

Delaware Board of Veterinary Medicine

District of Columbia Board of Veterinary Medicine

Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine

Florida Veterinary Medical Association

Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine

Hawaii Board of Veterinary Examiners

Idaho Board of Veterinary Medicine

Illinois Veterinarian Licensing and Disciplinary Board

Indiana Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine

Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners

Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners

Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine

Maine Board of Veterinary Medicine

Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association

Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Massachusetts Board of Registration in Veterinary Medicine

Michigan Board of Veterinary Medicine

Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine

Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine

Missouri Veterinary Medical Board

Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine

Nebraska Board of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery

Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association

New Hampshire Board of Veterinary Medicine

New Jersey Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

New Mexico Board of Veterinary Medicine

New York State Board for Veterinary Medicine

Newfoundland and Labrador College of Veterinarians

North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board

North Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association

Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board

Oklahoma State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board

Pennsylvania State Board of Veterinary Medicine

Prince Edward Island VMA

Puerto Rico Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Rhode Island Board of Examiners in Veterinary Medicine

Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association

South Carolina Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners 

South Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Tennessee Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

US Virgin Islands Board of Veterinary Medicine

Utah Veterinary Physician Licensing Board

Vermont Board of Veterinary Medicine

Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine

Washington State Veterinary Board of Governors

West Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine

Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board

Wyoming Board of Veterinary Medicine

Residents of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation receive a $200 discount. Please check the box at checkout confirming that you are a resident. We may ask for verification of residence status.

In the US, physical therapists and occupational therapists receive a $200 discount. Please check the box at checkout confirming that you are a physical therapist or occupational therapist. We may ask for verification. Note that this discount is only available in the US!

Participants should dress casually and comfortably, and proper shoes are recommended. Although this is an equine course program, participants will practice a few basic dry needling treatment techniques on each other before working with the horses.

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe all studied muscles in the course: origin and insertion, innervation, function, and dry needling precautions
• Describe three aspects of the contribution of myofascial trigger points to soft tissue pain and dysfunction
• Describe the key components of the Integrated Trigger Point Hypothesis
• Demonstrate proper identification of all the muscles studied in the course
• Demonstrate high standards of palpation of the muscles studied in the course: applicable to most soft tissue abnormalities
• Demonstrate proper identification of the three key features of a trigger point
• Describe three basic principles (technique, indications/contraindications,  hygiene and safety) of dry needling
• Demonstrate safe and accurate dry needling of each included muscle