HOOFNATUROPATH - Key Persons
Audrey, shown here with her horse, Rex, helps Freedom farm running smoothly and the farm horses feeling their best. She has been assisting with the hoof care program at Freedom Farm since 2003. After attending the International Center for Equine Arts in 2004 and earning her certification as an Equine Hoofcare Professional, she began building her clientele, which has now grown to over 100 horses.
Rehabilitating lame and unhealthy horses has become a passion for her and she has successfully rehabilitated several horses from chronic lameness problems such as navicular, founder and severe contraction.
Audrey enjoys exploring and using holistic methods of health care.
As founder of Sound Horse Solutions, she encourages disease and lameness prevention by educating owners about the tools and options available to them. This enables them to be more proactive and make informed decisions regarding their horses' health care.
Job Titles:
- Aromatherapy Education / Herbalist
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.
Job Titles:
- Christian Langeder - Soft Tissue Specialist
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.
Job Titles:
- Christian Langeder - Soft Tissue Specialist
Carola graduated from a Professional Hoofcare Training Program in 2003 and has built her busy practise to over 200 horses to date.
She has dedicated a significant part of her practise to the education of horse owners and therefore help prevent soundness related problems through better awareness and knowledge. Many of her clients have become self sufficient and competent owner-trimmers, some have even become professionals themselves.
Through professional networking and offering professional development opportunities, as well as mentoring new students and apprentices of hoof- and healthcare professions, she is part of a small group of qualified hoofcare professionals in Australia who not only have extensive practical experience in the field but also have an in-depth knowledge of Holistic Equine Podiatry which is based on the scientific knowledge of Zoology, Anatomy, Physiology, Histology and practical trimming techniques which are applied with extreme care to fit the individual's needs.
Carola is also a Bioscan Practitioner,
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.
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.