Whole Horse | Understanding equine postural mechanisms with Dr. Karen Gellman

The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton

In this episode, marking the end of season seven of the podcast, I spoke with Dr. Karen Gellman. What an incredible journey she has been on, culminating in her dedicating her life and veterinary practice to the study of equine health as it relates specifically to postural mechanisms, as well as sharing this body of knowledge with others.

During our conversation she shares some of the keys to supports horses to live well in gravity, how to support your horse to be healthier and happier through simple changes to their inner and outer environments, what postural rehabiliation is all about, and some of the physiology playing out when postural mechanisms become a problem. She is indeed a wealth of knowledge. I hope you enjoy our chat!

Access to a PDF for Whole Horse listeners - Equine Dentistry Handout

Dr. Karen Gellman is a graduate of Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, and has a doctorate from Cornell in animal locomotion biomechanics. She has advanced training and certification in veterinary acupuncture and veterinary chiropractic, and has practiced these and other modalities since 1995. She is the educational director of DVM Detective, which offers the Postural Rehabilitation training course for veterinarians and other equine professionals. She is also Research Director of Maximum Horsepower Research, and principal investigator on a study on equine posture funded by the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Foundation.

Dr. Karen Gellman holds DVM and PhD degrees from Cornell University in animal locomotion biomechanics. She has advanced training and certification in veterinary acupuncture and veterinary chiropractic, and has practiced these and other holistic modalities since 1995. Dr. Gellman has taught in multiple professional CE venues, lecturing on posture, biomechanics, and holistic therapies to veterinarians in North America and Europe. She has been a featured speaker at annual conferences for AHVMA (2014), AVCA (2021), IVCA (2015), IVAS (2012), Danish Veterinary Chiropractic Association (2013-2014), Wild West Veterinary Conference (2010), Norwegian Veterinary Chiropractic Association (2020), Hawaiian State Veterinary Association (2022), New York State Veterinary Medical Society and more. With Dr. Judith Shoemaker and Elizabeth Reese, she founded “Postural Rehabilitation”, a professional education venue. Her lectures are featured on The Equine Documentalist, Centaur Biomechanics and Equidemia. Dr. Gellman’s company DVM Detective offers professional training in equine posture to horse professionals, in online and in-person formats, and provides a world wide directory of professionals trained in restoring equine neutral posture.

Learn more about the Postural Rehabilitation Professional program or head to http://www.equinesportsmed.com