Equine dentistry in New Zealand is about to take a leap into the future and Kiwis, Warwick and Dianna Behrns, are leading the way with their new equine facility in Te Kowhai, Hamilton in the heart of the Waikato.
With the recent addition of two international instructors to their team, Warwick is still able to service the many valued clients in the upper North Island area and will be teaching and treating horses at the new clinic in Hamilton when required.
Stefan Hadzi-Longinovic is from Serbia, Belgrade where he worked as a licensed and practicing human dentist and Carol Borra is from Andorra, Europe where she has been working as a licensed and practicing veterinarian. Both Carol and Stefan have also been practicing equine dentistry since training with Warwick. They will be based at the Hamilton clinic teaching and practicing equine dentistry and are available to treat horses for equine dentistry.
New Zealand Equine Dentistry School welcomes domestic and international students from all parts of the world. Warwick and Dianna are co-directors of the school and have developed the curriculum with the support of many industry experts.
The NZQA approved course runs for six months, full time. The program that the school offers is comprised of predominantly practical but also in-depth theoretical knowledge. Theory covers many topics from horse evolution and working ethics to morphology, anatomy and physiology of maxillofacial region of the equine head and neck.
Practical work is comprised of two sections. The first section has been based on lab work and working on equine skulls. Rasping teeth, evaluation of various intraoral pathological situations and skull measurements are an integral part of theoretical and practical learning for students.The second part consists of intensive practice on living animals.
By the time students start working on live horses they are completely prepared to take an interview with a horse owner, work out differential diagnosis, prognosis and come up with different treatment plans for different cases.
Through the six month course with the unique teaching methods from our experienced staff, students build up confidence and professionalism, which they will find quite useful in their working everyday life. By the end of the course students are able to fully function as independent equine dentists and start up their own business.
Students need to have some prerequisites before applying to study at the New Zealand Equine Dentistry School. They need to be reasonably fit and healthy and a background in horsemanship would be an asset. Students should be stimulated and willing to dig their teeth into equine dental science and committed to studying.
A full list of entry requirements is available on the website www.equinedentistryschool.ac.nz or from the office.
NZ Equine Dentistry School is having an Open Day on Friday 23rd November – full details can be found on the website www.equinedentistryschool.ac.nz