Wendy Murdoch
Wendy Murdoch is an internationally recognized equestrian educator and creator of the SURE FOOT Equine Stability Program. Her work has been adopted by a wide variety of equine professionals to explore balance, proprioception, and nervous system responses in the horse. Drawing on decades of teaching experience and principles from the Feldenkrais Method®, she emphasizes keen observation, functional movement, and the horse’s innate ability to adapt. Wendy’s approach centers on curiosity, clarity, and horse-led change, deepening understanding of how posture, perception, and environment influence equine well-being.
Dr. Helen Davies
BAgSci, BVSc, PhD
With over three decades of academic and clinical excellence, Dr. Helen Margaret Sarah Davies is a veterinarian deeply dedicated to functional anatomy, with a specialized focus on the nervous and locomotory systems. After earning a PhD investigating how bone responds to exercise, they spent 30 years teaching regional, locomotory, and neuroanatomy to the next generation of veterinary students before retiring from formal academia in 2021. Today, Dr. Devies channels this wealth of knowledge into active clinical work and research, focusing on optimizing health and athletic performance for horses, riders, and canine athletes alike.
Dr. Robert Bowker
VMD, PhD
Born and raised in northern Maine before going to college (Springfield College) in Massachusetts and then to veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania for a VMD in 1973 and then a PhD in 1979 in ANATOMY. The thesis topic was Sleep Physiology (Ponto-Geniculo-Occipital Wave and its relation to the Startle Reflex) followed by a postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX studying immunohistochemistry of the brainstem and spinal cord. My wife and I have since settled in Michigan at Michigan State University, College of Veterinary College for nearly 30 years, teaching gross anatomy of all creatures great and small to the first-year veterinary students. I have since retired as Professor Emeritus and am continuing my research on horse’s foot.
Dr. Christina Fritz
Dr. RER. NAT
A passionate equestrian since childhood, I have been a dedicated horse owner for many years. I hold a PhD in Animal Physiology and Neurobiology from the Free University of Berlin, following my graduate studies in Biology. This academic foundation provides me with in-depth expertise in anatomical structures, biochemical processes, and physiological systems—especially in relation to equine metabolism.
My journey into equine therapy began after a riding accident, where I personally experienced the effectiveness of integrative healing methods. After completing extensive training in various therapeutic approaches—from acupressure massage to equine osteopathy—I founded my own practice in 2006, focusing on chronic conditions and metabolic therapy in horses. Since 2023, I have shifted my focus to equine therapist education and public knowledge transfer, aiming to support more horses through education than I ever could through one-on-one practice. My current work centers around equine nutrition and metabolic therapy, areas still lacking practical knowledge in many stables and even in equine therapy and training programs.
Areas of Expertise:
- Equine nutrition & metabolic therapy
- Equine osteopathy & craniosacral therapy
- Kinesiology, Touch for Health & Animal Touch
- Acupressure massage & TCM
- Phytotherapy, homeopathy & flower remedies
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Ivana Ruddock
Anatomist, Author
I am a graduate veterinarian (vet university in Brno, Czechia), a bodyworker (hum, Eq, Ca) for over 25 years, and a clinical anatomist. In my work, I focus on soft tissue. Fascia has fascinated me since my first horse dissection 20 years ago. I realised that this matrix is something I wasn’t aware of before, and it is completely different from what I observed during my teaching years at university, where we used fixed, prepared specimens – pieces of a horse's body. I specialise in performing soft tissue-sparing dissections to record and observe the continuity of the fascia, the connections within the body, and variations that demonstrate each horse is a unique individual.
Paige Poss
Paige has been fortunate to have had horses her entire life. Her love of them led her to her degree in Animal Science at North Carolina State University. She then went on to work as a research technician for leading scientists in the fields of biochemistry, toxicology, physiology, and nutrition.
In 1999, Paige's journey into hoof care began with a laminitic horse. Little did she know it would lead her to a new career!
Trimming hooves sparked her intellectual and scientific curiosity. Her initial website www.ironfreehoof.com started as a way to share her trimming knowledge, but then evolved as she became fascinated with anatomy.
As an amateur anatomist and photographer, Paige has dissected hundreds of lower legs and documented her work. Her passions lie in creating images that teach and using easy to understand analogies to explain complex concepts.
Paige is dedicated to learning and to sharing her knowledge. She is a member of the Progressive Hoof Care Practitioners, and the American Association of Professional Farriers. Paige has taught trimming techniques and anatomy around the country and internationally.
Dr. Jenny Hagen
DVM
Dr. Jenny Hagen is a veterinarian, scientist and certified farrier. She is specialized in equine orthopedics, manual therapy, rehabilitation, equine behavior and training and is still in the position as an associated professor at the Leipzig University. After her study of veterinary medicine, she did her doctoral thesis and post-doc thesis at the Leipzig University, where she established the research group “Equine biomechanics and orthopedics”. From 2011 to these days, she and her group examined several practical relevant topics about the effect of trimming, shoeing and training on the biomechanics of the distal limb, the whole locomotor system and the equine gait quality. 2003 to 2018 Jenny also did her farrier education and was employed at the horse clinic and farrier school at the Leipzig University. The last years, she did several certified specializations in different manual therapy techniques (osteopathy, chiropractic, myofascial release, tensegral treatment), gait analysis and rehabilitation training of horses. Since 2020, Jenny is self-employed in her practice for equine orthopedics and rehabilitation in the middle of Germany. In addition, she is a professional speaker at national and international congresses, symposiums and workshops.
