EQ100: Equinology® Equine Body Worker Certification
Date:
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*This course has been approved for 64 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.
If you are serious about working professionally in equine bodywork, then you need to learn from the best. We urge you to compare programs before taking this enormous step in the direction of your future career – we don’t know of a better course to prepare you for this field.
This 9-day, 100+ hour course (actual course contact hours and independent evening and off-day assigned study) offers more than 500+ hours of education with the required precourse study (EQ50) and the 250-hour externship completed following the onsite course.
The Equinology® Approach was developed by Debranne Pattillo, MEEBW, founder of Equinology. This unique hands-on system addresses the whole body, implementing specific manual palpation methods to assess soft tissue and symmetry of muscle and structure, and utilizing detailed static and dynamic evaluation to inform the practitioner. Different bodywork techniques —including sports massage, soft tissue mobilization, stretching, range of motion and positioning exercises, as well as “focal” point work (stress and trigger points) — are combined to provide optimal support for horses working in every discipline.
This course emphasizes proper and safe techniques, assessment of the entire horse (including conformation and gait assessment), and introduces saddle fit and dentistry. The program stresses ethics and underlines marketing as well as proper documentation to accentuate working within the professional equine care industry. The class is presented with loads of hands-on practice time, specimens, illustrations and multimedia presentations.
There is more to bodywork sessions than just a recipe “routine.” You need to look at the whole animal, understand what you are seeing and utilize the skills you’ve been taught.
This course is not for everyone. It is for the serious students, those who strive to be leaders in their profession. We want students who wish to be part of the team caring for horses. We want them to be able to communicate effectively with the other team members. To do so, you have to know anatomy, understand the movement, recognize what is normal for a horse and be very aware of contraindications to bodywork.
While this course is specifically designed for students wishing to pursue a career in equine bodywork, it is also regularly attended by veterinarians, physical therapists, human massage therapists, equine massage therapists, trainers, barn managers and chiropractors who would like to enhance their skills. The course is taught in such a comprehensive, logical layered format that those with little or no complementary equine care and science background will find themselves up to speed with the other professional participants.
This class runs from 8:00am-5:30pm daily with 30 minutes for lunch and 3 hours of evening studies. Day 5 is spent out-of-class for independent study.
- Application of a full session as well as targeting specific areas
- Additional specialized techniques for session application
- Superficial, middle and deep muscle location and isolation
- Over 90 point locations
- Veterinary vocabulary and terminology
- Benefits of bodywork
- Contraindications of bodywork
- Bony landmark/surface anatomy identification
- Stretches for the session
- Work ethics
- Documenting sessions
- Conformation and gait analysis
- Injury
- Exercising the horse after a session
- Marketing
- Introduction to dental issues
- Introduction to saddle fitting issues
- Session assessment & observation forms included for business use
Participants must have good handling skills and be thoroughly comfortable working with horses before attending this course. Students must be confident and secure picking up horses’ legs and must be comfortable leading all types of horse personalities and dispositions.
Students must first register for the EQ50 Equine Anatomy Precourse Distance Study. While the exam does not need to be completed before attending the EQ100, participants must have knowledge of directional terms, veterinary vocabulary, and anatomy. Please plan to spend at least 100 hours reviewing the EQ50 study guide before arriving onsite for the EQ100.
If you already have a thorough understanding of this material (especially those professionals already in the healthcare industry such as veterinarians) please contact the office to clear this prerequisite.
*Successful completion of the EQ50 course (including exam) is required for the EEBW certification.
Please note: USA students must first read the law pertaining to their state before being allowed to register. The state laws vary and some states only allow veterinarians or direct supervision for animal care. Laws can change at any time and the EquiLearn Institute and Equinology are not responsible or accountable for changes in laws preventing individuals from participating in certain states.
Required Text:
Anatomy of Equine Bodywork: The Equinology® Approach
by Debranne Pattillo, MEEBW
$99 if purchased onsite, or can be purchased here.
Externship (included in tuition – students must attend all 9 days of class in order to submit):
Students need additional time to practice what they have learned in class, write cases studies and continue with extra learning activities so they can hone their skills, ask questions and improve hands-on skills before presenting themselves as a professional.
Our participants are so well prepared that we have a 98% pass rate for the externship. For this particular course, there’s an additional 250 hours of guided study once the student leaves the class (completed at home). Students complete 20 sessions on at least 5 different horses using all of the techniques taught in the class. There is also a home review portion included in the externship on muscle function, muscle identification, point location and gait assessment that is designed to enhance the material presented in the class.
Strongly Suggested Additional Text:
Color Atlas of Veterinary Anatomy: The Horse Volume 2 by Ashdown & Done
Clinical Anatomy of the Horse by Drs. Clayton and Flood
The Comprehensive Guide to Equine Veterinary Medicine by Dr. Barb Crabbe
Practical Guide to Lameness by Dr. Ted Stashak
Veterinary Medical Terminology by Romich (available through Cengage Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary)
Debranne Pattillo, MEEBW, MSc. (h.c.), ASTR
Debranne’s unique vision blends the precision of a bodyworker with the creativity of an artist, allowing her to perceive equine anatomy through a dual lens. Her teaching is a joyful fusion of the meticulous anatomical accuracy required for expert bodywork and the lively unpredictability of working with living, breathing, and often opinionated horses. With an artist’s eye, Debranne can deconstruct the equine body from skin to bone and then reassemble it—whether through detailed drawings, “air massages,” building the muscles inside out in clay with the Equiken® Learning System, or vibrant chalk paintings on live horses. This distinctive approach fuels her passion as a practitioner of equine bodywork and sports massage, making her a highly sought-after instructor. Her renowned “Painted Horse,” a cornerstone of Equinology since its inception in 1994, was even featured on the UK’s BBC program “Countryfile” in 2001.
Her book, Anatomy of Equine Bodywork: The Equinology® Approach, first published in 2018, encapsulates over 30 years of her experience, knowledge, techniques, and applications. The book includes contributions from esteemed professionals such as Dr. Peter Flood, Dr. Kerry Ridgway, Dr. Barb Crabbe, Kalyani Premkumar, and Dr. Joanna Robson. The text is brought to life by fresh illustrations from Celia Strain, Laurie O’Keefe, and Catherine Twomey, all acclaimed medical illustrators. In 2019, she launched the Equine Anatomy Learning Aid app, which complements both the book and Equinology courses. A canine version is expected to be released in late 2025, along with several eBooks and online courses tailored for professionals, trainers, and owners.
Since 1994, Debranne has been the lead instructor for more than 400 equine sports massage and anatomy courses, teaching over 4,000 participants across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., South Africa, New Zealand, and beyond. She holds the Equinology® Master Equine Body Worker Certification, a rigorous qualification requiring over 2,000 hours of coursework. Debranne is the author and facilitator of the unique Equinology® Equine Body Worker Certification Course, the signature program of Equinology. This course serves as a professional qualification within the BSc in Equine Sports Therapy presented by Writtle Agricultural College and the University of Essex in the U.K. In recognition of her contributions to equine education, Writtle University awarded Debranne an Honorary Master of Sciences Degree in 2019.
Debranne is also the co-founder and past Chair of the U.S. division of the International Equine Body Worker Association (IEBWA), an organization dedicated to supporting and promoting ethical practices in equine bodywork. She currently serves as the Division Head of the IEBWA for the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. A regularly invited lecturer and guest speaker, Debranne has given presentations on anatomy, stretching, and massage at colleges, universities, private educational institutions, and various equestrian venues.
In addition to authoring Equinology’s certification courses, Debranne has been featured in numerous international publications. Her work has also been highlighted in regional newspapers and on various websites.
A $350 deposit is required to hold your spot in a course – the remainder of the tuition is due at least 45 days prior to the course start date (60 days for international instructors). The $350 deposit is nonrefundable and nontransferable, and is credited to the total tuition for the course. Confirmation letters, course outlines, required pre-study (if applicable), directions and lodging options will be sent when the $350 deposit has been received.
*This course has been approved for 64 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.
If you are serious about working professionally in equine bodywork, then you need to learn from the best. We urge you to compare programs before taking this enormous step in the direction of your future career – we don’t know of a better course to prepare you for this field.
This 9-day, 100+ hour course (actual course contact hours and independent evening and off-day assigned study) offers more than 500+ hours of education with the required precourse study (EQ50) and the 250-hour externship completed following the onsite course.
The Equinology® Approach was developed by Debranne Pattillo, MEEBW, founder of Equinology. This unique hands-on system addresses the whole body, implementing specific manual palpation methods to assess soft tissue and symmetry of muscle and structure, and utilizing detailed static and dynamic evaluation to inform the practitioner. Different bodywork techniques —including sports massage, soft tissue mobilization, stretching, range of motion and positioning exercises, as well as “focal” point work (stress and trigger points) — are combined to provide optimal support for horses working in every discipline.
This course emphasizes proper and safe techniques, assessment of the entire horse (including conformation and gait assessment), and introduces saddle fit and dentistry. The program stresses ethics and underlines marketing as well as proper documentation to accentuate working within the professional equine care industry. The class is presented with loads of hands-on practice time, specimens, illustrations and multimedia presentations.
There is more to bodywork sessions than just a recipe “routine.” You need to look at the whole animal, understand what you are seeing and utilize the skills you’ve been taught.
This course is not for everyone. It is for the serious students, those who strive to be leaders in their profession. We want students who wish to be part of the team caring for horses. We want them to be able to communicate effectively with the other team members. To do so, you have to know anatomy, understand the movement, recognize what is normal for a horse and be very aware of contraindications to bodywork.
While this course is specifically designed for students wishing to pursue a career in equine bodywork, it is also regularly attended by veterinarians, physical therapists, human massage therapists, equine massage therapists, trainers, barn managers and chiropractors who would like to enhance their skills. The course is taught in such a comprehensive, logical layered format that those with little or no complementary equine care and science background will find themselves up to speed with the other professional participants.
This class runs from 8:00am-5:30pm daily with 30 minutes for lunch and 3 hours of evening studies. Day 5 is spent out-of-class for independent study.
- Application of a full session as well as targeting specific areas
- Additional specialized techniques for session application
- Superficial, middle and deep muscle location and isolation
- Over 90 point locations
- Veterinary vocabulary and terminology
- Benefits of bodywork
- Contraindications of bodywork
- Bony landmark/surface anatomy identification
- Stretches for the session
- Work ethics
- Documenting sessions
- Conformation and gait analysis
- Injury
- Exercising the horse after a session
- Marketing
- Introduction to dental issues
- Introduction to saddle fitting issues
- Session assessment & observation forms included for business use
Participants must have good handling skills and be thoroughly comfortable working with horses before attending this course. Students must be confident and secure picking up horses’ legs and must be comfortable leading all types of horse personalities and dispositions.
Students must first register for the EQ50 Equine Anatomy Precourse Distance Study. While the exam does not need to be completed before attending the EQ100, participants must have knowledge of directional terms, veterinary vocabulary, and anatomy. Please plan to spend at least 100 hours reviewing the EQ50 study guide before arriving onsite for the EQ100.
If you already have a thorough understanding of this material (especially those professionals already in the healthcare industry such as veterinarians) please contact the office to clear this prerequisite.
*Successful completion of the EQ50 course (including exam) is required for the EEBW certification.
Please note: USA students must first read the law pertaining to their state before being allowed to register. The state laws vary and some states only allow veterinarians or direct supervision for animal care. Laws can change at any time and the EquiLearn Institute and Equinology are not responsible or accountable for changes in laws preventing individuals from participating in certain states.
Required Text:
Anatomy of Equine Bodywork: The Equinology® Approach
by Debranne Pattillo, MEEBW
$99 if purchased onsite, or can be purchased here.
Externship (included in tuition – students must attend all 9 days of class in order to submit):
Students need additional time to practice what they have learned in class, write cases studies and continue with extra learning activities so they can hone their skills, ask questions and improve hands-on skills before presenting themselves as a professional.
Our participants are so well prepared that we have a 98% pass rate for the externship. For this particular course, there’s an additional 250 hours of guided study once the student leaves the class (completed at home). Students complete 20 sessions on at least 5 different horses using all of the techniques taught in the class. There is also a home review portion included in the externship on muscle function, muscle identification, point location and gait assessment that is designed to enhance the material presented in the class.
Strongly Suggested Additional Text:
Color Atlas of Veterinary Anatomy: The Horse Volume 2 by Ashdown & Done
Clinical Anatomy of the Horse by Drs. Clayton and Flood
The Comprehensive Guide to Equine Veterinary Medicine by Dr. Barb Crabbe
Practical Guide to Lameness by Dr. Ted Stashak
Veterinary Medical Terminology by Romich (available through Cengage Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary)
Debranne Pattillo, MEEBW, MSc. (h.c.), ASTR
Debranne’s unique vision blends the precision of a bodyworker with the creativity of an artist, allowing her to perceive equine anatomy through a dual lens. Her teaching is a joyful fusion of the meticulous anatomical accuracy required for expert bodywork and the lively unpredictability of working with living, breathing, and often opinionated horses. With an artist’s eye, Debranne can deconstruct the equine body from skin to bone and then reassemble it—whether through detailed drawings, “air massages,” building the muscles inside out in clay with the Equiken® Learning System, or vibrant chalk paintings on live horses. This distinctive approach fuels her passion as a practitioner of equine bodywork and sports massage, making her a highly sought-after instructor. Her renowned “Painted Horse,” a cornerstone of Equinology since its inception in 1994, was even featured on the UK’s BBC program “Countryfile” in 2001.
Her book, Anatomy of Equine Bodywork: The Equinology® Approach, first published in 2018, encapsulates over 30 years of her experience, knowledge, techniques, and applications. The book includes contributions from esteemed professionals such as Dr. Peter Flood, Dr. Kerry Ridgway, Dr. Barb Crabbe, Kalyani Premkumar, and Dr. Joanna Robson. The text is brought to life by fresh illustrations from Celia Strain, Laurie O’Keefe, and Catherine Twomey, all acclaimed medical illustrators. In 2019, she launched the Equine Anatomy Learning Aid app, which complements both the book and Equinology courses. A canine version is expected to be released in late 2025, along with several eBooks and online courses tailored for professionals, trainers, and owners.
Since 1994, Debranne has been the lead instructor for more than 400 equine sports massage and anatomy courses, teaching over 4,000 participants across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., South Africa, New Zealand, and beyond. She holds the Equinology® Master Equine Body Worker Certification, a rigorous qualification requiring over 2,000 hours of coursework. Debranne is the author and facilitator of the unique Equinology® Equine Body Worker Certification Course, the signature program of Equinology. This course serves as a professional qualification within the BSc in Equine Sports Therapy presented by Writtle Agricultural College and the University of Essex in the U.K. In recognition of her contributions to equine education, Writtle University awarded Debranne an Honorary Master of Sciences Degree in 2019.
Debranne is also the co-founder and past Chair of the U.S. division of the International Equine Body Worker Association (IEBWA), an organization dedicated to supporting and promoting ethical practices in equine bodywork. She currently serves as the Division Head of the IEBWA for the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. A regularly invited lecturer and guest speaker, Debranne has given presentations on anatomy, stretching, and massage at colleges, universities, private educational institutions, and various equestrian venues.
In addition to authoring Equinology’s certification courses, Debranne has been featured in numerous international publications. Her work has also been highlighted in regional newspapers and on various websites.
A $350 deposit is required to hold your spot in a course – the remainder of the tuition is due at least 45 days prior to the course start date (60 days for international instructors). The $350 deposit is nonrefundable and nontransferable, and is credited to the total tuition for the course. Confirmation letters, course outlines, required pre-study (if applicable), directions and lodging options will be sent when the $350 deposit has been received.