Review - HORSE Forum

Prof. Dr. Christoph Mülling has been Professor of Veterinary Anatomy at the University of Leipzig since 2010. After studying veterinary medicine at the Free University of Berlin and working for five years in large animal practice, he obtained his doctorate in 1993, followed by extensive international research stays in Berlin, Cornell and Sapporo. In 2006 he became Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham and in 2007 Full Professor and Associate Dean Academic at the University of Calgary. In recent years he has developed a particular passion for the functional anatomy of the horse. His research interests include movement analysis, functional anatomy and biomechanics, the pathogenesis of hoof and claw diseases and in-vitro research on the skin, hoof and claw. Prof. Mülling was already present at PARTNER PFERD last year and emphasized how important the transfer of knowledge is to him: “If, as an expert, you can actually give people who have to deal with animals information that leads to them recognizing problems earlier, perhaps even preventing them. That they understand things better, that they perhaps also improve their riding actions and handling of the animal - that's an exciting thing,” says Müllling.

He will open the Health Day in the Forum with the presentation “The horse is a very special animal”.

Dr. Alice Manders is an equine veterinary specialist with an additional qualification in dentistry and a qualified osteotherapist. In her own practice, she offers specialized treatments in the fields of dentistry and osteopathy for horses. She is also a lecturer at the German Institute for Equine Osteopathy and the Academy for Animal Naturopathy and Animal Physiotherapy. At the HORSE Forum, she will provide valuable insights into the possibilities and benefits of equine osteopathy.

Dr. Alice Manders will enrich the HORSE Forum with a lecture on the topic “Veterinary medicine, osteopathy or chiropractic - what helps my horse?

Dr. med. vet. Christiane Schnabel is a veterinarian and immunologist at the Institute of Immunology of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and at the Biomedical-Biotechnological Center of the University of Leipzig. After studying veterinary medicine in Giessen and completing her doctorate in Hanover, she gained international experience as a postdoc at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in the USA. Since 2020, Dr. Schnabel has been leading a research project on adaptive immunity in severe equine asthma at the University of Leipzig as an Emmy Noether group leader.

At the HORSE Forum, she will address the topic of “Asthma, coughing, hay fever?”.

At Leipzig University, Prof. Dr. Ingrid Vervuert is head of services at the Institute for Animal Nutrition, Nutritional Damage and Dietetics and works as a scientist. As a veterinary specialist in animal nutrition and dietetics, her work focuses on the roughage supply of horses, the importance of feeding for gastric health in horses and the feeding of donkeys. She began her academic career by studying veterinary medicine at the FU Berlin. She crowned her scientific career in 2010 with her habilitation in the field of animal nutrition and dietetics.

Her presentation at HORSE Forum will deal with feeding and common feeding errors - an important topic for every horse owner.

Dr. Corinna Arnold is a specialist veterinarian for equine internal medicine and senior consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine and Reproductive Medicine at the Equine Clinic of the University of Leipzig. Her field of activity includes the diagnosis and treatment of internal diseases in horses. She is also involved in clinical veterinary medicine and in the training and further education of students. With her expertise, she contributes significantly to the health care of horses and to the promotion of young veterinarians.

Dr. Corinna Arnold will give a presentation on the topic of “Box, paddock, trail: is there THE right stall for everyone?”, focusing in particular on the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of horse husbandry.

Dr. habil. Jenny Hagen is a renowned expert in equine health with a wide range of qualifications. As a veterinarian, farrier and certified specialist for orthopaedics, manual therapy, behavior and rehabilitation of horses, she combines extensive knowledge with practical experience and will share this at HORSE Forum. Her scientific career took her to the Institute of Veterinary Anatomy at the University of Leipzig, where she habilitated in 2018 with a thesis on the biomechanics of the equine distal limb. Dr. Hagen has been running her own practice for equine orthopaedics and rehabilitation since 2020, but remains active in research.

At the HORSE Forum, she will talk about keeping the horse's hoof healthy and then present the hoof protection options with their advantages and disadvantages.

Prof. Dr. Walter Brehm is a recognized expert in veterinary surgery and has been Director of the Equine Clinic at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Leipzig University since 2017. He began his academic career by studying veterinary medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where he obtained his license to practice veterinary medicine in 1989.

He spent a short time in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry, but then returned to clinical veterinary medicine. He worked at the Free University of Berlin, where he obtained his specialist veterinary certification for horses. He then worked as head of the Department of Equine Surgery at the University of Bern. Prof. Dr. Brehm has been working at the University of Leipzig since September 2007, first as Director of the Surgical Veterinary Clinic and since 2017 as Director of the Equine Clinic. His clinical and scientific focus is on equine surgery and orthopaedics, in particular minimally invasive surgical methods and regenerative medical therapy procedures.

The last presentation at 5 p.m. will be given by Prof. Dr. Brehm on the treatment of tendon diseases and tendon damage.