Join Dr. Barbara Parks (physical therapist) and Suzzi Peeler (equine neuromuscular dentist) on a deep dive into the horse’s mouth!
I (Barbara) felt so drawn to create this course because I was so blissfully unaware of pretty much everything we teach here until I started spending more time with Suzzi. The nature of the equine mouth - with teeth that continue to erupt and wear throughout the horse’s life - means that the balance (or imbalance) of the horse’s teeth can impact the body in a variety of far-reaching ways.
As an equine bodyworker, sometimes I would get clients who never seemed to get better - I was doing what I believed to be all the right things, but the horses just could not get out of their compensatory patterns or let go of the tension around their poll….
I was failing these horses and I couldn’t figure out why…
Until I met Suzzi and she started teaching me more about the horse’s mouth, how the teeth wear based on various factors, and how she balances the mouth for full TMJ range of motion.
And that’s when everything changed….
Now I knew how to assess horses for TMJ restriction from dental imbalances - and I began developing my feel and my eye for the compensation patterns in the body that tended to go along with various issues in the mouth.
Those horses I couldn’t fix - were “unfixable” because they were stuck! Their mouths weren’t balanced - so my bodywork couldn’t stick.
This course won’t teach you how to become an equine dentist… but you will learn how to recognize when you need to give one a call!
Your journey into the horse’s mouth will be facilitated by 6 core modules:
Module 1: Equine Dentition and Dentistry
This introductory module sets the stage for the rest of the course. It’s an overview of equine dentition, why horse’s need a dentist, and how equine dentistry works.
Module 2: Anatomy
In this module we take dive into the anatomy of the head, neck, hyoid, and TMJ. We will also review relevant anatomy in the rest of the body that we’ll discuss in later modules with the compensation patterns. Suzzi will show you some skulls to help build on your understanding of the bony structures and how everything fits together!
Module 3: Biomechanics Basics
Module 3 puts anatomy into motion - we discuss the foundations of TMJ and spinal biomechanics and how they interact together.
Module 4: Anterior/Posterior Restrictions
This is the fun part! Now we start to dig into the nitty gritty of the course with our first common dental imbalance example. We discuss anterior/posterior restrictions, how they occur and how they impact the jaw and the body. We share multiple case studies including following a horse with AP restrictions through a dental balance in real-time with a discussion of how his body changes immediately following the dental balance.
Module 5: Lateral Restrictions
Next we discuss lateral restrictions. This is what most people think of when they think of having a dental float - the sharp points that form along the sides of the teeth. In this module we will discuss how lateral restrictions occur and how they impact the jaw and the body. We share multiple case studies including following a horse with lateral restrictions through a dental balance in real-time with a discussion of how his body changes immediately following the dental balance.
Module 6: Diminished Inclination
Oooooh this is a biggie! If you take one thing away from this course I hope it’s this. I (Barbara) had no clue this was a problem until Suzzi explained it to me, and now… I am seeing it everywhere. In this module we will discuss how diminished inclination occurs (spoiler alert - it’s a manmade problem) and how it impacts the jaw and the body. We share multiple case studies including following a horse with diminished inclination through a dental balance in real-time with a discussion of how his body changes immediately following the dental balance.
Meet Your Instructors:
Dr. Barbara Parks, PT, DPT, CERP is a physical therapist for horse and rider based in the Nashville, TN area. Barbara received her doctorate in physical therapy from Belmont University and her Certified Equine Rehabilitation Practitioner credentials from UT-Knoxville. She is also a PATH Intl. certified therapeutic riding instructor and spent some time teaching adaptive riding lessons prior to becoming a physical therapist. Barbara has a passion for positive reinforcement training and using clicker training in rehabilitative exercise and has pursued continuing education in equine bodywork, barefoot hoofcare and composite shoeing, equine nutrition, and equine behavior and learning theory in order to provide a whole-horse approach to rehab and injury prevention. She lives on a small farm with her husband, 5 horses, 4 cats, and 3 dogs.
Suzzi Peeler is a lifelong lover of horses. While searching for more positive, healthy alternatives/ways to care for her own horses in 2014, Suzzi discovered Neuromuscular Dentistry and was enamored with it. She immediately began her studies and since then through her school has become a certified Neuromuscular Dentist. Suzzi thoroughly enjoys educating about the importance of dentition and the affect it has on the whole body. In 2018, she was given the opportunity to present Neuromuscular Dentistry for the Equine at the International College of Craniomandibular Orthopedics’ (ICCMO) national conference. Suzzi continues to immerse herself in studying the art and science that Neuromuscular Dentistry encompasses. She focuses her passion on increasing research in her field by specializing in the study of how the teeth affect proprioception, mobility, performance, and overall health of the horse.
