Online Learning for Equine Vet Rehab Therapists

What happens in the brain when pain persists? 🧠

At the 2026 Vet Rehab Summit, Dr Kenneth Joubert will be exploring How Pain Shapes the Brain.

Kenneth brings decades of experience in anaesthesia, analgesia, pain management and critical care to a conversation that is incredibly relevant to rehabilitation professionals.

Because pain isn't simply something our patients feel. It can influence the nervous system itself - changing processing, behaviour, movement and ultimately the way our patients experience and interact with the world around them.

We cannot talk about the brain in rehabilitation without talking about pain.

The Vet Rehab Summit is included in Onlinepethealth membership. Join us live on 14 November 2026 for a full day of learning, connection and conversations that will change the way you think about rehabilitation.

Comment VRS10 to learn more about the 10th Vet Rehab Summit.

CuraCore Vet

Tack-related dysfunction is rarely straightforward. Horses often communicate discomfort through subtle changes in behaviour, movement, posture, or performance, making it difficult to identify the primary issue and know where to begin.

In this webinar, Becky Tenges introduces a practical framework for collecting, sorting, and prioritising clinical findings, using tack-related dysfunction as a model. She also explores one of the biggest challenges we face as rehabilitation professionals: helping clients understand what their horse is telling us when tack may be contributing to dysfunction.

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This webinar is sponsored by Equine Bodyworks USA

"The absence of normal behavior is the most striking sign of pain in animals"
-Anil et al, 2002

🐴 When should young horses start work?

It's one of the most debated questions in the equestrian world.

Many of us have been taught that waiting until skeletal maturity is always the safest option. But does the evidence actually support that belief?

In this week's blog, we explore the research on early training, injury risk and tissue adaptation, while also examining the limitations of the current evidence. Rather than searching for a one-size-fits-all answer, we ask a more important question: what does appropriate work look like for the developing horse?

If you're passionate about evidence-based equine rehabilitation, this is a conversation worth having.

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What if the behaviour you’re trying to change is actually information you need to understand?

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What happens to the surrounding musculature when we mobilise the lumbar spine?

In this Research Refresh, we explore an undergraduate research project with Zoe Mans from Equine-Librium College, investigating the effects of pain-free lumbar dorsoventral joint mobilisations on the lumbar and gluteal musculature of polo horses.

Together with supervisors Jeanine Watson van Zyl and Amy Louw, we unpack the randomised controlled trial, discussing the study design, outcome measures, results, and - most importantly - what the findings may mean for clinical practice. We also have an honest conversation about the realities of conducting research in veterinary rehabilitation, highlighting both the challenges and the opportunities for clinicians who want to contribute to the evidence.

This Research Refresh is available to our Onlinepethealth Equine members.

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This research refresh was created in collaboration with Equine-Librium College, Plettenberg Bay
Researchers involved in this project: Zoe Mans, Christi Bester, Jone Strauss, Christiaan Theunissen, Amy Louw, Jeanine Watson Van Zyl.

Meet Dr Narda Robinson, one of the incredible lecturers joining us at the 2026 Vet Rehab Summit! 🧠

Narda will be opening our exploration of The Brain by taking us right back to the foundations: Comparative Neuroanatomy in the Canine and Equine Patient.

Before we can understand how the nervous system influences movement, pain, learning and rehabilitation, we need to understand the structures we are working with - and how those structures compare across the species we treat.

With her extensive background in anatomy, neuroscience, medical acupuncture and integrative rehabilitation, Narda is the perfect person to lay that foundation for the day.

The Vet Rehab Summit is included in Onlinepethealth membership. Join us live on 14 November 2026 for a full day of learning, connection and conversations that will change the way you think about rehabilitation.

Comment VRS10 to learn more about the 10th Vet Rehab Summit.

Thank you to CuraCore Vet for partnering with us in bringing this event to life.

Rehabilitation doesn't end when the treatment session does.

How a horse lives for the other 23 hours of the day has a profound influence on movement, behaviour, healing, and long-term outcomes. Sometimes, the key to better rehabilitation lies not in adding another treatment, but in changing the horse's environment.

In this webinar, Lily Wilson explores the role of husbandry in equine health and rehabilitation, showing how lifestyle and management can become powerful tools for both assessment and treatment planning.

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Nurturing Nature Equine - Dr Lily Wilson MRCVS