Practical Cardiology For Equine Practitioners – A 2-Day Practical Course

VetPD - Veterinary Professional Development

1 month ago
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Date: Friday 8th May, 2026 - Saturday 9th May, 2026
Start time: 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Duration: 2 hour(s)
Cost: £1890

When confronted with horses affected by cardiac abnormalities many equine practitioners are intimidated and shy away from a cardiologic work-up. This practically-oriented course is intended to help general equine practitioners identify common equine heart diseases and their impact on performance, safety and life expectancy. Attendees will learn how to perform a thorough physical exam of the cardiovascular system and will be taught how to acquire and interpret a routine echocardiogram and ECG, crucial skills for equine practitioners to provide heart assessments in horses. The expertise and extensive experience of the team of internationally renowned equine cardiologists, along with a relaxed atmosphere will encourage open and honest discussions and stimulate attendees to assimilate knowledge.

The 7 hours of hands-on auscultation, ECG and echocardiography workshops will be held in small groups and a further 2 hours will be devoted to case discussions. At the beginning of the course attendees will furthermore be provided a few cases to work through which will then be discussed at the end of the course. The following topics will be covered in well-illustrated lectures and case discussions in English (no translation, with German moderation):

Cardiac Auscultation – Murmurs & Arrhythmias
The Foundations of Equine Echocardiography
The Essentials of Doppler Echocardiography
Electrocardiography – Indications, Principles & Interpretation
Arrhythmias – Relevance & Treatment • Collapse & Sudden Cardiac Death
Interpretation of Cardiac Findings – Impact on Performance, Rider Safety & Life Expectancy
Cardiac Case-Discussions – Arrhythmias, Regurgitations, Shunts, etc.
The 7 hours of workshop will give attendees plenty of opportunity to further develop their echocardiography and ECG skills in small groups (max 4-6 attendees per instructor) on live horses with heart conditions, all under the supervision of the specialists. Each attendee will rotate through the following practical stations:

Auscultation of horses with heart conditions

Echocardiography of 5 horses with cardiac abnormalities in small groups (max. of 4-6 attendees per instructor)
Acquisition & interpretation of resting and exercising ECGS on live horses
Heart Murmurs & Arrhythmias PowerPoint Case-based Discussions
The course fee includes catered lunches, coffee/tea breaks, extensive electronic course notes and a certificate of attendance. 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 limited number of places available due to the highly practical nature of this course.

This course is suitable for RCVS Modules: B-EP.3; C-E.2; C-E.3; C-E.5; C-E.15; C-E.16; C -VDI.5

Who is it for?

Vets (New graduates, GPs) and vet students

The Speakers

Virginia Reef BA, DVM, Dipl.ACVIM, Dipl.ACVSMR<br /> American Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine & Equine Sports Medicine/Rehabilitation <br /> Professor of Medicine & Director of Cardiology and Diagnostic Ultrasonography <br /> New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania<br /> <br /> Gunther van Loon DVM, PhD, Dipl.ECEIM, Assoc.Member ECVDI<br /> European Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine<br /> Professor of Equine Internal Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium<br /> <br /> Fe ter Woort DVM, DVSc, Dipl.ACVIM<br /> American Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine<br /> Equine Sports Medicine Practice, Belgium<br /> <br /> Charlotte Hopster-Iversen Med.Vet, PhD, Dipl.ECEIM<br /> European Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine<br /> Assistant Prof. Dept. of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark

The Venue

Pferdegesundheit Rhein Main
Birkenhof 2
65795 Hattersheim
Telefon: 06190 – 88 796 00 (24h erreichbar!)
E-Mail: [email protected]

Number of CPD hours this event can be recorded as

14 hours

Registration and Booking

Click here to reserve your place

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