Poor Performance Diagnostic Skills Workshop – Orthopedic & Respiratory Conditions A 2-Day Practical Course (A Scientific/Clinical Program)

Poor performance is relatively common, often non-specific, and determining the cause(s) can pose a significant challenge to equine veterinarians. We are often faced with questions such as ‘My horse has started to make a noise during exercise and struggles to keep up with the other horses; what do you think is causing it?’; ’Do we need to investigate my horse’s reluctance to be ridden and problems with lateral work or do you think that this is a training-related issue?’. Evaluating horses for poor performance can be a daunting task because different conditions may present with similar clinical signs, leaving vets wondering where to start the investigation.

This 2-day Skills Workshop, new for 2026, comprises a program of 9 hours of practical sessions designed to equip veterinarians with the practical toolkit for investigation of both orthopedic and cardiorespiratory causes of poor performance, and to get the results that will lead to a definitive diagnosis. Attendees will join hands-on, genuine small-group sessions with live horses and simulators unique to VetPD courses, covering clinical exercise testing, static and dynamic respiratory endoscopy (3-5 attendees per endoscope), ridden horse evaluation, objective gait analysis, saddle fit assessment, ultrasound-guided injection techniques, ultrasonography (neck, back or pelvis; 2-4 attendees per ultrasound machine) and radiographic skills.

The faculty of internationally renowned specialists will present the following highly-illustrated lectures:

• The Challenge of the Poorly Performing Horse
• Integrating Technology: Objective Gait Analysis
• A Novel Perspective on Overground/Dynamic Endoscopy
• Beyond In-Hand Evaluation: Ridden Assessment incl. Saddle and Rider
• Exercise Testing: Identifying Subclinical Problems in Sports Horses
• Murmurs & Arrythmias: Classification & Decision-Making
• Optimizing Image Quality: Radiography & Ultrasonography

Over the 2 days, 9 hours of hands-on practical sessions will allow attendees to further their practical skills on live horses and simulators in small groups, and to further discuss the above topics with the specialists both during the practicals and in the interactive case-discussion sessions. The following practical sessions will be supervised by the specialists during the course:

• Static Upper Respiratory Tract Endoscopy
• Subjective Lameness Evaluation
• Objective Gait Analysis for Lameness Evaluation
• Saddle Assessment & Ridden Evaluation
• Ultrasonography Skills Workshop (Neck, Back or Pelvis)
• Exercise Testing: HR Monitoring, ECG, Lactate Measurement etc.
• Radiography Skills Workshop (Front and/or Hindlimb)
• Ultrasound-Guided Injection Techniques Workshop: Sacroiliac Joints & Thoracolumbar Facet Joints
• Cardiorespiratory Poor Performance Case-Discussions

The course fee includes coffee/tea breaks, lunches, extensive electronic course notes and a certificate of attendance. On the evening of the first day all attendees are invited to attend the wine & cheese reception. Attendees can choose to only attend the lectures (= Lectures Only) on this course or can register for the entire course (= Lectures & Practical Sessions). Early course registration is recommended as there are only a limited number of places available.