CPD Training 2024/25 Therapists, Students & Guardians

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The Learning Hub

I have teamed up with IAAT (International Association of Animal Therapists) to bring therapists: The Learning Hub

So what is The Learning Hub?

It’s an online learning platform for therapists.

 6 courses for both Equine & Canine IAAT therapists to access.

So what makes the Learning Hub different?

IAAT will run one course per month (Canine & Equine) online 

You have the month to complete each course, giving you plenty of time.

The courses start in October & run each month until March  run each year.

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Each course has Mentor Zoom sessions.

Each course has case studies so that you can practice the theory & then we can discuss the information during our tutorials.

Each course will be CPD Certified by IAAT.

Each course has an Optional Practical Day hosted at LGS to help consolidate your learning even more.

The courses are affordable, they cost approximately the same amount as a 2 day training course.

You can take just one course, or you can take two, or all six that’s entirely up to you.

It’s so important to me & IAAT that you are supported through your learning. Often therapists work alone & it can be a steep learning curve using new techniques & skills, our aim with these courses is to expand your knowledge & skill set with a course that provides the opportunities for supervision, success & support

Register below or contact: IAAT

Canine MFR 

February  15th & 16th 2025

This 14 hour CPD is  provided by Rebeccah Baylis from LGS &  Jo Rose from Rose Therapies

Day 1: Saturday 15/02/24 will be online via Zoom for theory based learning with Jo Rose from Rose Therapies.

Day 2: Sunday 16/02/24 will consist of practical application guided by Rebeccah Baylis from LGS in Somerset.

   Myofascial release (muscle fascia release) provides an indirect, non intrusive approach to soft tissue manipulation; gently moving tissue at the surface level, releasing tight fascia & helping to stimulate the body’s ability to re-align itself.

  Fascia is the tissue that surrounds & connects all of the structures in the body. This connective tissue can become dehydrated, hardened & stuck.

Restrictions can develop in the fascia from trauma, poor posture & repetitive strain. During a myofascial release session, a low load stretch is put into the tissue for a period of approximately 3 minutes to allow the tissue to re-hydrate & release. 

This is a very relaxing & effective therapy, facilitating the body’s innate healing mechanisms to realign bony structures & release deep seated tension & trauma.

This technique provides an effective addition / alternative to massage for the more sensitive animals & sometimes proves to be better than other physical therapies at releasing stubborn areas of tightness, allowing joints to realign.

 This course is aimed at all qualified canine physical body workers (canine massage therapists, physiotherapists, musculoskeletal therapists etc) as CPD training. 

£240 pp

Equine Ecology Day

 Sat 5th April 2025

This  7 hour CPD day in Somerset is hosted by Rebeccah Baylis from LGS & Presented by Annabel Holmes (Equine Ecologist) & Ruth Angell (Donkey Ecologist) 

Combining design, ecology, horse/donkey behaviour & permaculture,  providing a complete & bespoke service, to help both the design & long term management of horse, donkey & nature centric set ups.

From traditional looking pastures, to equicentral, track & browsing paddock systems, we will discuss landscapes, grass management that works with nature & for your horses/donkeys. 

Join us as we help to change the future of horse & donkey keeping forever. 

• Grass ID & Hay advice 
• Soil Groups
• Good Paddock Plants
• Tips & Help for those on Livery
• What to do with Poo
• Design a 12 Month Plan 

 A full day of practical & theory for the Equine Guardian. 7 hour CPD: £100 per attendee

 Equine Whole Horse Dissection

This  21 hour CPD  3 day course in Somerset is provided by Rebeccah Baylis from LGS & Louise Mauferon-Vernet  

May 9th, 10, 11th 2025

A whole horse dissection lead by: Louise Mauferon-Vernet

This is a 3 day full practical  weekend, exploring the horse anatomy, soft tissue, tendons, ligaments with a focus on Visceral organs, Fascia & how we as therapists can work with primary & secondary dysfunction

The first 2 days are full on & not for the squeamish. The final day is spent working with live horses the techniques learnt from the weekend. 

The course is interactive & you will have a chance to explore & discuss the body of the horse. 

£650 per student 

 For IAAT members £600 per student

 Re-balancing The Equine Body Web

Influencing function in the living web of connective tissue; from biomechanical fascia to nerve & cellular communication

This course is for qualified Equine therapists looking to learn fascia techniques

Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th October

This 14 hour CPD is  provided by Rebeccah Baylis from LGS,  Jo Rose from Rose Therapies & Sam Manning from The Healing Room

Day 1: Saturday 20/10/25 will be online via Zoom for theory based learning with Jo Rose from Rose Therapies:  Jo is a musculoskeletal and holistic therapist, with a background myofascial release, vibrational therapies & applied herbal choices

Day 2: Sunday 21/10/25 will consist of practical application guided by Rebeccah Baylis from LGS & Sam Manning based in Somerset. 

 Becky is a physiotherapist, who has conducted many dissections; observing connected structures in the body via the muscular & fascia tissue, also works with applied herbal choices.   Samantha Manning is a human & equine myofascial release therapist.

We have a holistic focus for this course; looking at biomechanical connections globally in the body, from head to hoof, fascial function & dysfunction, links to the acupressure meridian lines, plus some lymphatic & vagus nerve associations.  

We include some discussion on hedgerow foraging for lymphatic & fascial health.  In practice, we will explore hands on techniques to influence the function of the living web of connective tissue, from fascia function to biomechanical function, homeostasis, nerve & cellular communication.

 This course is aimed at all qualified Equine physical body workers (Equine massage therapists, physiotherapists, musculoskeletal therapists etc) as CPD training. 

£240 pp

  Massage is such a super therapy & one I use every day in my work with animals.

 At LGS we are now teaching Merishia Massage. 

Why study Merishia Massage? Incorporating Swedish and Sports Massage Techniques. The course also focuses on deep tissue mobilisation techniques, releasing tension in the muscle & other soft tissues & enhancing movement of the joints. The techniques can be used to aid sports performance, support rehabilitation & improve general well-being. 

Massage is a wonderful way to achieve relaxation & reduce the risk of injury.

Learning to massage enables YOU to assess where there is tension & discomfort, & then work on releasing those areas with simple but extremely effective techniques. 

We are only taking small groups to enable a friendly but professional approach enabling students to gain the most from the practical learning tasks. You are also supported with a comprehensive online resource package including videos, diagrams, quizzes & handout material. 

The 6 unit course takes approximately a year to complete combining theory & practical sessions covering assessment, massage, stretching & mobilization techniques that will improve an animal’s suppleness & capabilities, aid in rehabilitation from injury & help to maintain or improve performance and well-being in life. 

2024/25 intake starts this September & the practical dates will be Saturdays for the Equine group & Sundays for the Canine group.

 This is a Level 4 Diploma Canine Merishia Massage course approved for further education accredited with NCFE (Ofqual regulated) 

Whether you are a horse or dog owner that would like to improve the well-being & health of your animal or if you are looking to start a new career or add to your skills & are interested, please get in touch. 

We would love to have you learn with us & work with our beautiful herd of horses & our gorgeous pack of dogs on the Devon/ Somerset border while you gain your qualification.

Massage is such a super therapy & one I use every day in my work with animals.

 At LGS we are now teaching Merishia Massage. 

Why study Merishia Massage? Incorporating Swedish and Sports Massage Techniques. The course also focuses on deep tissue mobilisation techniques, releasing tension in the muscle & other soft tissues & enhancing movement of the joints. The techniques can be used to aid sports performance, support rehabilitation & improve general wellbeing. 

Massage is a wonderful way to achieve relaxation & reduce the risk of injury.

Learning to massage enables YOU to assess where there is tension & discomfort, & then work on releasing those areas with simple but extremely effective techniques. 

We are only taking small groups to enable a friendly but professional approach enabling students to gain the most from the practical learning tasks. You are also supported with a comprehensive online resource package including videos, diagrams, quizzes & handout material. 

The 6 unit course takes approximately a year to complete combining theory & practical sessions covering assessment, massage, stretching & mobilization techniques that will improve an animal’s suppleness & capabilities, aid in rehabilitation from injury & help to maintain or improve performance & well-being in life. 

2024/25 intake starts this September and the practical dates will be Saturdays for the Equine group & Sundays for the Canine group. 

This is a Level 4 Diploma Equine Merishia Massage course approved for further education accredited with NCFE (Ofqual regulated) 

Whether you are a horse or dog owner that would like to improve the well-being & health of your animal or if you are looking to start a new career or add to your skills & are interested, please get in touch. 

We would love to have you learn with us & work with our beautiful herd of horses & our gorgeous pack of dogs on the Devon/ Somerset border while you gain your qualification.

Equine Agility Clinic

A morning clinic in Somerset  provided by Trudi Dempsey CEBC AAB & Rebeccah Baylis at LGS

Spring 2025

9am - 1.30pm 

 Equine agility is a fast-growing obstacle-based discipline that helps build trust, confidence, balance, suppleness, & strength.

In this half day demonstration, we will take some of the most popular agility exercises & show you how to systematically break them down into easily taught elements. 

Learn how to introduce novel objects without creating fear or conflict & build patterns of behaviour that will also help in other areas of your equestrian life.

Understanding how horses learn guides our training & creates better more motivated partnerships. But there’s so much more to training agility. Handler fluency & fluidity of movement. Teaching the fundamental behaviours from leading, halting, backing, turning, & waiting. 

 Knowing the right lines of approach & depart for each obstacle & the route through the obstacles. Adding difficulty & duration after the basic obstacle is learned & finally putting all the obstacles into a course.

This is a demonstration with horses & plenty of opportunity for questions, whilst based on agility style exercises the training will be of benefit to all equestrians. 

£60 per attendee

 Equine Pole Workshop

 June 2025

This  7 hour CPD day in Somerset is provided by Rebeccah Baylis & Trudi Dempsey

This is a full theory & practical day looking at how pole work can support the ridden equine along side rehabilitation, strengthening & training. 

 Trudi: As a gymnastic dressage coach & behaviour consultant Trudi uses poles in a wide range of situations. Pole work supports balance, proprioception, coordination & flexibility but there is an often missed extra when pole work is trained with behaviour in mind. 

Introduced carefully & systematically, pole work training creates confidence & trust in the handler/rider.

Trudi promotes the idea of horses learning to be responsible for their own balance without the need for any rope or rein pressure.

During the workshop we will look at:

• Basic learning theory for rein/rope handling skills

• How to position yourself to support your horse when working on the ground

• Simple exercises for balance

• Introducing bend & flexion

• Poles in series to benefit rhythm & regularity

• Proprioception exercises

• Pole box exercises in preparation for lateral work

From a Therapist eye we will: 

• Look at In-hand exercises for developing proprioception & straightness.
• Long reining for core strength & improved flexibility. 
• Ridden exercises to develop core strength & flexibility, given in walk to enable the equine therapist to provide onsite help, plus recommendations for faster paces as after care strengthening.
• We will specifically target muscle groups according to the needs of the horse, along with general core strengthening & postural correctness of the horse.
• The aim is to build balance, stability, enhance flexibility & coordination in the ridden equine as part of their education process. This is also valuable for re-educating post injury or for fitness training. 

This course is for anyone interested in rehabilitation & training in the ridden equine.

£60 per rider/horse (spaces are limited)

£100 per attendee (£100 per person)

  An Introduction to Equine Hanna Somatics

Summer  2025

Hosted by LGS ran by Ilse Kemp, Equine Hanna Somatics Practitioner, Equine Massage Therapist 

 EHS is a modality that reawakens and reeducates the brain’s control of muscles.  

This gentle method embraces the mind and body not being separate and requires the horse voluntarily participate in a series of natural movements that tap into nature's way of resetting excess muscle tension. 

There is no pressure or manual therapy involved.

 It is suitable for all horses and can be a session on its own or incorporated with other modalities and techniques.  It can also be a foundational modality for horses ahead of other modalities. 

  The day includes:

1. The history and principles of EHS 
2. The neurophysiology of EHS 
3. Motor Sensory Amnesia 
4. Discussion and comparison of EHS to other hands- on modalities
5. Examples of EHS case studies
6. Hanna Somatics for humans - students will be guided through some HS exercises so they get to experience what the horse feels
7. EHS demonstration of techniques and methodology - including what to do if the horse is unwilling/unable to participate
8. Posture, movement and palpation assessment  -  working together to observe, identify etc
9. EHS protocols for different postures/presenting somatic issues

By the end of the course students will:

- know how to do EHS correctly

- know the best way to incorporate EHS into their existing bodywork / therapeutic practices

- be able to recognise when EHS can be foundational work to do ahead of other modalities

This CPD course is an introduction to EHS and is aimed at all equine practitioners wishing to broaden and enhance their skillset.

£100 per attendee (£100 per person)

Canine Structural Analysis 

This home study CPD is equivalent of 7 hours and is certificated upon completion. 

 Providing information on the musculoskeletal system through practical exercises along with biomechanics & structural/performance problems in relation to genetic conditions, workload & equipment and includes some rehabilitation exercise. Perfect for keeping therapists up to date through home learning.

£40 per student

Canine Sprains, Strains & Tears

This webinar download is equivalent of 2.5 hours CPD

Providing the canine therapist an approach to rehabilitation  injuries in our sporting canines  

A 2 part power point presentation to download & save.  

This online CPD is great for adding to your CPD hours & providing vital information & ideas to assist the sporting dog 

£40 access to both recordings