Carel Eijkenaar’s professional career in international dressage is both distinguished and expansive. (See his CV here.) He is an FEI International Dressage trainer and retired FEI judge, and equally important, a teacher by nature. He has demonstrated his dedication to educating people throughout his career and continues teaching and training to this day with horse lameness prevention at the forefront of his program.

Last week we held a very informative video conversation with Carel. The topics that were covered included issues that lead to short-lived careers of horses in sports, injury and lameness prevention, classical or correct methods of training, facility management and many others. In this video, he offers his experiential insight on lameness and prevention, and how it has changed over the span of his life-long professional career in international dressage. Of note is that while lameness related research identifies a "trainer effect", which means some trainers have lower lameness rates among horses in their care than others do, Carel recounts having very few veterinarians visits due to lameness for horses in his program over the decades that his career has spanned.

Carel is a true lover of horses, as his dog corroborates at one point in the video. (A dog's opinion is always welcome.) His passion for horses and heart-felt concern for the welfare of sport horses and lameness prevention is evident in this discussion. We hope you will enjoy this video and stay tuned for more Conversations with Experts to come.

We are honored that Carel is a member of the Equine Soundness Foundation’s Board of Advisors and dedicated to advancing our mission and vision. We look forward to sharing more enlightening interviews with Carel in the near future and encourage you to share them. 
 
For more information and details about Carel's vast experience and current offerings, visit Carel's facebook page and website.