USET study plan
USET · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Equine Anatomy, Physiology, and Kinesiology
Label the bones of the equine appendicular and axial skeleton from memory on a blank diagram, scoring at least 90% accuracy.
Trace the path of the digital flexor tendons, suspensory ligament, and check ligaments through the distal limb and state each structure's origin, insertion, and action.
Describe the muscle groups of the forelimb and hindlimb and classify each as flexor, extensor, adductor, or abductor with one example per group.
Explain the hoof capsule layers, the lamellar attachment, and the palmar/plantar foot structures that determine weight-bearing.
Summarize the functional anatomy of the cervical and thoracolumbar spine, including the nuchal ligament and its role in passive support.
Your checkpoint
A one-page hand-drawn unlabeled skeleton and distal-limb cross-section with a separate answer key, self-scored at 90% or better.
Equine Anatomy, Physiology, and Kinesiology & Equine Biomechanics and Gait Analysis
Diagram the cardiac, respiratory, and thermoregulatory responses to a graded exercise test in the horse, linking each to a performance limit.
Define the gait parameters of stride length, stride duration, stance and swing phase, duty factor, and diagonal advanced placement, and calculate each from a provided set of timings.
Classify the walk, trot, canter, and gallop by footfall sequence, number of beats, and presence or absence of a suspension phase.
Explain how conformation of the shoulder angle, pastern slope, and hindlimb angulation alters limb loading and stride mechanics.
Describe the biomechanics of the forelimb and hindlimb as spring-mass systems, including elastic energy storage in the tendons.
Your checkpoint
A worked gait-analysis problem set: calculate stride parameters for three fictional horses and write a two-sentence interpretation of each horse's mechanics.
Equine Biomechanics and Gait Analysis & Common Equine Lameness, Injury, and Rehabilitation Concepts
Correlate common conformational deviations with the injuries they predispose to and justify each link with a mechanical explanation.
Build a differential list for a grade 2/5 forelimb lameness and a grade 2/5 hindlimb lameness, ordering causes by prevalence.
Explain the AAEP lameness grading scale from 0 to 5 and apply it consistently to written case vignettes.
Describe the purpose and interpretation of flexion tests, the lunge on hard and soft surfaces, and diagnostic analgesia, including limitations of each.
Outline the phases of tendon healing and the mechanical rationale for controlled loading during rehabilitation.
Your checkpoint
A written lameness assessment of four fictional case vignettes, each with a grade, a ranked differential list, and the next diagnostic step.
Common Equine Lameness, Injury, and Rehabilitation Concepts & Therapy Modalities: Manual, Physical, and Adjunctive Techniques
Compare manual therapy techniques (soft tissue mobilization, joint mobilization, myofascial release, stretching) by their proposed mechanism, indication, and contraindication.
Explain the principles, evidence base, and safety limits of therapeutic ultrasound, laser, and electrical stimulation in equine practice.
Design a progressive rehabilitation program for a superficial digital flexor tendon injury across the three phases of healing, specifying exercise type, duration, and progression criteria.
Identify absolute and relative contraindications for each modality you studied and state the action to take when one appears.
Describe how to fit and monitor a horse for a support bandage, cold therapy, and controlled exercise, and list the signs of complications.
Your checkpoint
A modality comparison table covering at least six techniques with mechanism, indication, contraindication, and evidence strength for each.
Therapy Modalities: Manual, Physical, and Adjunctive Techniques & Equine Nutrition and Conditioning
Construct a conditioning program for a horse returning to work, applying the principles of progressive overload, specificity, and recovery.
Calculate digestible energy and crude protein requirements for a horse at maintenance, light work, and moderate work using standard body-weight-based formulas.
Explain the roles of forage, concentrate, fat, electrolytes, and water in the working horse's diet and the risks of abrupt change.
Identify the warning signs of overtraining and describe how to adjust workload in response.
Describe how to body condition score a horse and use the score to adjust the ration.
Your checkpoint
A 12-week conditioning and feeding plan for one fictional horse, with weekly workload targets, ration calculations, and monitoring checkpoints.
Equine Behavior, Ethology, and Welfare & Patient Assessment, Treatment Planning, and Documentation
Describe the equine ethogram, the senses of the horse, and how sensory limitations shape handling and treatment decisions.
Explain the five domains of animal welfare and apply them to evaluate a described management scenario.
Conduct a structured patient assessment: history, observation at rest and in motion, palpation, and baseline measurements, and record findings in a standard format.
Write SMART treatment goals and a session plan that links assessment findings to chosen interventions.
Draft a SOAP-format treatment note for a fictional session, including objective measures and a plan for the next visit.
Your checkpoint
A complete SOAP note for one fictional patient, including history, objective findings, assessment, and a SMART-goal treatment plan.
Patient Assessment, Treatment Planning, and Documentation & Safety, Handling, and Facility Management
Set measurable outcome measures (pain scale, range of motion, lameness grade, gait symmetry) and describe how to re-measure them at follow-up.
Explain how to obtain informed consent, explain risks, and document owner communication in a treatment record.
Identify facility hazards and design a handling plan for a nervous or needle-shy horse, including escape routes and restraint limits.
Describe safe use of restraints, protective equipment, and handler positioning during common treatments.
Outline an emergency plan for a horse that collapses, kicks, or becomes trapped during a session.
Your checkpoint
A facility safety checklist plus a written handling plan for a difficult horse, each with at least eight specific items.
Professional Ethics, Scope of Practice, and Veterinary Collaboration & Equine Anatomy, Physiology, and Kinesiology & Equine Biomechanics and Gait Analysis & Common Equine Lameness, Injury, and Rehabilitation Concepts
Distinguish the scope of practice of an equine therapist from that of a veterinarian and identify the tasks that require veterinary direction.
Describe how to build a referral relationship with a veterinarian, including what to send, when, and how to report findings.
Apply an ethical decision framework to two scenarios involving owner pressure and a possible contraindication.
Complete a timed 60-question mixed review across all nine domains and score at least 80%.
Review every missed question from the review and write a one-line correction note for each.
Your checkpoint
A scored 60-question timed practice test with a written error log of every missed item.
Milestones
Week 2: Score 90% or better on a self-made anatomy and gait-parameter quiz and correctly calculate stride parameters for three horses.
Week 4: Produce a graded differential for four lameness vignettes that matches the answer key on at least three of four.
Week 6: Submit a SOAP note that a peer can follow without asking clarifying questions, with all SMART goals measurable.
Week 8: Achieve 80% or better on the timed 60-question mixed review and complete the error log for every missed item.