Equine Basic Arthroscopy Course
Friday, 3rd October 2025 and Saturday, 4th October 2025
at Pferdeklinik Burg Müggenhausen
Dear colleagues,
we are pleased to invite you to participate in our arthroscopy course. This extensive hands-on practical course is designed to improve your surgical technique of equine arthroscopy and to enhance your personal skills guided by highly experienced instructors. The course will cover basic and intermediate arthroscopic techniques, valuable lectures and discussions, video demonstrations and lots of hands-on practical sessions. We will work in small groups only with 2 members per arthroscopy tower. The instructors are going to give tips and tricks on the principles of equine arthroscopy and the extensive wet-lab sessions will provide substantial time for practice. Everyone will perform a standard arthroscopic procedure in the joint and tendon sheath with professional guidance.
Course language will be English.
The working stations are kindly provided by the Arthrex company.
On Friday evening we are happy to see you at the social dinner.
Due to the small number of participants we recommend short-term registration.
The Academy for Continuous Veterinary Education (Akademie für Tierärztliche Fortbildung, ATF) credits this course with 13 ATF hours.
Friday, 3rd October 2025
09.00 - 09.30 Uhr Registration
09.30 - 11.00 Uhr Fetlock joint: dorsal and palmar approach: Anatomy, portal placement, landmarks,
physiological findings (Dr. Bruce Bladon)
Synovial sepsis (Vanessa André)
11.00 - 11.15 Uhr Coffee break
11.15 - 13.15 Uhr Wet lab: dorsal and palmar Fetlock joint (Dr. Bruce Bladon, Dr. Antonio M. Cruz, Vanessa André)
13.15 - 14.15 Uhr Lunch (and clinic tour)
14.15 - 15.15 Uhr Digital flexor tendon sheath: Anatomy, approach, physiological findings, annular ligament
desmotomy / resection manica flexoria (Dr. Bruce Bladon)
15.15 - 15.30 Uhr Coffee break
15.30 - 17.30 Uhr Wet lab: Exploration of the digital flexor tendon sheath, annular ligament desmotomy,
manica flexoria resection (Dr. Bruce Bladon, Dr. Antonio M. Cruz, Vanessa André)
18 Uhr Social Dinner
Saturay, 4th October 2025
09.00 - 10.45 Uhr Hock: dorsal and plantar approach: Anatomy, portal placement, landmarks,
physiological findings (Dr. Antonio M. Cruz)
10.45 - 11.00 Uhr Coffee break
11.00 - 12.45 Uhr Wet lab: dorsal and plantar Hock (Dr. Bruce Bladon, Dr. Antonio M. Cruz, Vanessa André)
12.45 - 13.30 Uhr Lunch
13.30 - 14.30 Uhr Tarsal sheath: Anatomy, approach, physiological findings, typical wounds and pathologies
Calcaneal bursa, land marks, physiological findings (Dr. Bruce Bladon)
14.30 - 14.45 Uhr Coffee break
14.45 - 17.00 Uhr Wet lab: Tarsal sheath and Calcaneal bursa
(Dr. Bruce Bladon, Dr. Antonio M. Cruz, Vanessa André)
17.00 Uhr End of the course
Speakers
Dr. Antonio Cruz, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, ECVS, ACVSMR
Dr. Cruz is double boarded in Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine. He is currently a faculty member at the Justus Liebig Universität Giessen in Germany having spent most of his career in North America. He has spent near 30 years in academic practice in different capacities, having been tenured faculty (Associate Professor) at the University of Guelph (Canada) for several years. He has also worked at different universities around the world. He spent 7 years in private practice establishing a leading referral surgical and sports medicine facility in the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver, Canada). He holds several post-graduate degrees. In the past he has supervised many graduate students, residents and interns, published over 70 articles, 4 books and many book chapters. He is a regular speaker at international meetings. His main clinical focus is equine orthopedics and he is actively involved in research in the area of gait analysis and equine surgery.
Vanessa André, Equine specialist, FTA für Pferde
Vanessa André is part of the faculty of Equine Clinic Burg Mueggenhausen since 2017 and she focused on equine orthopedics and surgery. Since 2022 she is the principal surgeon. After studying in Vienna, Austria, working in Texas and Switzerland she started her specialisation in a private practice in Munich for four years. Since 2018, she is Equine specialist and continued her surgical specialization over the last years partially under the supervision of ECVS boarded diplomates. She is interested in all parts of equine surgery. Her keen interests are colic surgery, tenoscopy and fracture repair. She also makes progress with new treatments in equine skin tumor therapies and is one part of the CEO’s of Equine Clinic Burg Mueggenhausen.
Dr. Bruce Bladon BVM, S Cert EP DESTS, Dipl. ECVS, FRCVS, RCVS
Dr. Bruce Bladon undertook a Residency in Equine Surgery at the University of Bristol from 1995 - 98. He joined Donnington Grove Veterinary Group in Newbury (as it is now) in 1998, where he is now a clinical director and principal equine surgeon. He became a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2001 and was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2016. He is BEVA President 2024/2025. Bruce is interested in all branches of equine surgery, particularly colic surgery, arthroscopy and fracture repair. He also has a keen interest in imaging. Bruce’s experience includes publishing over 40 papers and he has lectured extensively all around the world. He was the equine surgeon at the Rio Olympic Games and the recent Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Registration Form - Deadline 5th September 2025
E-Mail : Veranstaltungen@pferde-klinik.de
