HORSE REHABILITATION & TRAINING
Dr. Karin Leibbrandt is a certified veterinary surgeon specializing in horse rehabilitation and training.
Dr. Karin Leibbrandt is a certified veterinary surgeon specializing in horse rehabilitation and training. Fifteen years ago, while working as a mainstream vet, she found herself regularly called upon to deal with equine lameness and neck, back and pelvis complaints that existing therapeutic treatments could not remedy on a lasting basis. So she went in search of the root cause and found that the crux lies in the way in which horses are trained.
If even the slightest thing goes wrong in a horse’s balance, posture or movement pattern, this will impact his health and soundness. And “the slightest thing” can include anything from topline problems to lameness. Dr. Leibbrandt began examining how horses can attain a full biomechanical balance, and translated her findings into a new, horse-friendly training system based on four dimensions of movement. Slowly but surely, she came to see that training is the decisive factor in equine health and soundness.
In order to expand her knowledge of the best method of training sport horses to remain sound and healthy, Dr. Leibbrandt attended training courses and clinics organised by leading national and international specialists and trainers. In addition to selecting the most relevant and most effective techniques from conventional veterinary science, alternative medicine and equine training, she also translated the principles of human rehabilitation and core stability into an equine model.
Dr. Leibbrandt puts her heart and soul into her work with horses. Her overriding aim is to train strong, healthy sport horses that respond to their riders’ wishes – and do so both happily and effortlessly. She wants to give as many riders as possible, from novice to grand prix, the tools for training their horses in the best possible way, to keep them healthy and free of injury. Riders play a pivotal role in all this – they hold the key. No therapy can beat correct training. A sound and healthy horse is a precondition for sporting performance. Horse-friendly training and successful performance definitely go hand in hand.
Qualifications and Memberships
- Graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht
- More than 20 years of equestrian experience
