Essentially there have been four levels of the Equine Touch Clinics since 2002 – three seminars choreographed into easy to learn modules to give the horse owner who wishes to give back something to their horse a non invasive tool with which to do so. Operating in harmony with these clinics is a robust assessment and education program for those who wish to carve out a career for themselves – full or part time – as professional Equine Bodyworkers using the Equine Touch.
To view course schedules, visit your country’s globe on the home page or contact the named person in that country who will be able to advise.
Level 1 – FOUNDATION CLINIC (3 day course)
Designed to introduce the novice to the Equine Touch and give them the means to return home and be able to assess their horse and have a positive effect upon their horse. This hands-on clinic was originally put together by Jock in 1998 and taught to solely vets throughout Europe and has remained the same ever since.
The entire of Equine Touch – its success and development – sits firmly on the work that is taught in this clinic which we also call Level 1. Students are first taught the unique hands on move and the science and purpose behind it. They will at first practice on each other before transposing that which they have learned onto the horse. This human practice is not without purpose as it is designed in such a manner that the student will be able on their return home to perform a simple form of effective bodywork on their friends or family. In these three days the student will learn the terminology of Equine Touch – branding, basic body balancing, area of concern, so that everyone is speaking the same language and working from the same page. Students will be taught to start to learn to read the horse, to observe processing and positive reactions, as well as to stay safe while they are focused on helping the animal.
Students are supplied with a fully illustrated manual.
A professionally produced DVD of the entire clinic is available to assist the student in refreshing their memory and practicing at home. On completion of the three days each student is issued with a formal certificate which is recognized world wide by any of our licensed instructors and is the pre-requisite to attend the next level of ET should they wish to do so.
Level 2 – INTERMEDIATE CLINIC (3 day course)
On these three days the student revisits and refreshes the work they learned in the foundation clinic as well as being introduced to 16 more area of concern procedures including what is referred to as the advanced body balancing procedure. In addition they will learn extra procedures in human work to assist them when working on the riders.
The techniques that the student learns on this clinic are designed to sit on top of and work in harmony with those which the learned in previously. While many of these techniques for areas of concern can stand on their own, the years have shown that the positive results last longer and are more profound when layered on top of the basic or advanced body balance and the areas of concern taught in the foundation clinic.
Students are supplied with a fully illustrated manual. A professionally produced DVD of the entire clinic is available to assist the student in refreshing their memory and practicing at home. On completion of the three days each student is issued with a formal certificate which is recognized world wide by any of our licensed instructors and is the pre-requisite to attend the next level of ET should they wish to do so.
Level 3 – ADVANCED CLINIC
Level 3 clinic is taught in two different formats (depending on the country). Whether the student is attending the 2 day practical clinic followed by the three day theory clinic with Dr Ivana Ruddock – or attending the original 4 day intensive clinic, as a trainee practitioner or a horse lover the high standard of education remains the same. At this level the student is taught to understand the elements of influence which the horse is subjected to after it has been brought into the human world and how to recognize the problems and understand the effects that it has on the horse. The emphasis is then placed on the student understanding why and where Equine Touch comes into play as well as laying out the facts that no matter how hard we work or how effective ET is without the understanding of these elements of influence such as – saddle – hooves – teeth – rider – training – food – environment, nothing can effectively last. Students are supplied with two fully illustrated manuals. On completion of the clinic each student is issued with a formal certificate which is recognized world wide by any of our licensed instructors and is the pre-requisite to sitting the practitioner exam and assessments as well as being a prerequisite for attending any Level 4 class.
Ongoing Professional Development:
MOBILIZATION AND STRETCHING CLINIC
This one day clinic is open to anyone at any level and from any discipline – mobilization and stretching is essential for any horse, athlete or pasture pet. In this hands-on, one day clinic taught either by Ivana or specially trained instructors – the student is thoroughly introduced to the unique Equine Touch method of mobilization and stretching for the benefit of the horse. Safety for the practitioner as well as the comfort of the horse is of primary consideration. The system is deigned for even the smallest lady working on the largest horse to be able to comfortably perform. Revolutionary yet practical in its concept it was actually developed by Jock in 2004 when he lost the strength in one arm due to a trapped nerve and had to devise a system of limb elongation where he was able to work around his disability yet still be able to help the horse release spasm and stress in its limbs. Correct carrot stretching is taught with emphasis placed on the specific differences in range of movement and direction for each individual vertebrae. Students are supplied with a fully illustrated manual. A professionally produced DVD of the entire clinic is available to assist the student in refreshing their memory and practicing at home.