Local organization committee
International Committee of ICEL
P. René van Weeren (Utrecht University – NL)
Hilary Clayton (Sport Horse Science, LC – USA)
Michael Weishaupt (University of Zurich – CH)
Christian Peham (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna – AU )
Lars Roepstorff (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences – SE)
Nathalie Crevier-Denoix (École Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort – FR)
Thilo Pfau (University of Calgary – CA)
Local Organization Committee of ICEL 9
Filipe Serra Bragança (Utrecht University – NL)
Ineke Smit (Utrecht University – NL)
Nikae te Moller (Utrecht University – NL)
Jeanne Parmentier (Utrecht University / University of Twente – NL)
Rhana Aarts (Utrecht University – NL)
Michelle Teunissen (Utrecht University – NL)
Joep Suskens (Utrecht University – NL)
P. René van Weeren
Paul René van Weeren (1957) graduated in 1983 from the Utrecht University Veterinary Faculty (The Netherlands). He became a staff member of the Department of General and Large Animal Surgery in that year and obtained his PhD degree in 1989. From 1991-1993 he worked as a visiting professor at the Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria of the Universidad Nacional in Heredia, Costa Rica. He became a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1994. He was appointed as full professor to the Chair of Equine Musculoskeletal Biology in 2007 and is now mainly involved in research with focus areas articular cartilage, tendons and biomechanics and in administration. He became Head of the Department of Equine Sciences of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University in 2012 and Head of the Department of Clinical Sciences in 2020 after the restructuration of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of that year, involving the merger of the Departments of Equine Sciences and of Clinical Care of Companion Animals and the section of Anatomy and Physiology of the former Department of Pathobiology.
René van Weeren has been a supervisor of 37 PhD students, who have obtained their degree in the past years and currently supervises 9 PhD students, who will be graduating within the next few years. He has been an associate editor of Equine Veterinary Journal for many years, is a member of the editorial board of The Veterinary Journal, and member of the scientific board of several others. He has been guest editor of various Special Issues or Supplements of a variety of scientific journals. He has been external examiner for PhD students abroad at various occasions in Belgium, the UK, France, Austria, Sweden, Norway and Finland. He is author or co-author of more than 350 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has contributed various chapters to a variety of textbooks. He is one of the editors of the 2nd edition of Joint Disease in the Horse. He is a member of the International Committee of the International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology (ICEEP) since 2012, of which he was the Chair from 2014-2018. He is also a member of the International Committee of the International Conference on Canine and Equine Locomotion (ICEL) and was a founding member of the predecessor of this organization, the International Workshop on Animal Locomotion (IWAL).
Christian Peham
Christian Peham graduated as a communication engineer at the University of Technology Vienna and worked on the Clinic of Orthopaedics in Ungulates at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. He finished his doctoral thesis in 1994. Since 2001 he is associate Professor of Biomechanics at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. He is the head of the Movement Science Group Vienna. Prof. Peham’s research focus is in the areas of equine and canine biomechanics. Recently, his research has focussed on development of anatomy-based models of the equine back and neck. He was co-author of 2 books, 2 patents and 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Prof. Peham was one of the organizers of the IWAL 2000, EWOMS 2005 ICEL7 and the ICEL8. He has been bestowed by the Bank Austria Science Award.
Nathalie Crevier-Denoix
Nathalie Crevier-Denoix graduated from the Veterinary School of Alfort (France, 1989). Agrégée in Veterinary Anatomy (1993), she defended a PhD thesis in Biomechanics (1996). Professor of Anatomy (1999), she is also (since 2003) the head of a research unit devoted to Biomechanics and equine locomotor pathology in Alfort. After a Veterinary Doctorate on the radiographic images of the limbs of the foal, her research activities have been covering two topics: equine tendon imaging and biomechanics, and biomechanical effects of equestrian surfaces. Her main achievements are the development of a non-invasive device for in vivo tendon force measurement (Tensonics, patented), the development and application of a combined dynamometric and high speed kinematic measurement protocol compatible with equine training conditions, the development of a testing device for equestrian surfaces, mimicking the interaction of an equine forelimb with the ground in the vertical plane (Equine Track Tester, ET2, patent deposited). In 2016 she became diplomate of the ACVSMR, and in 2019, de facto diplomate of the ECVSMR (equine). Since 2019, she is principal investigator of a research program on the rehabilitation of superficial digital flexor tendinopathy in racehorses.
She published 60 peer-reviewed articles, and presented more than 90 invited lectures and about 100 short communications in international and national conferences.
Hilary Clayton
For almost 50 years Dr. Hilary M. Clayton has performed innovative research in the areas of equine biomechanics, lameness, rehabilitation, athletic conditioning, and the interaction between rider, tack and horse. She has published 7 books and numerous papers in scientific journals and articles in equestrian publications on these topics. Since retiring from academia in 2014, she has continued to perform collaborative research with colleagues from around the world and to provide educational opportunities for scientists and equestrians.
Dr. Clayton is a charter diplomate and past president of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is an Honorary Fellow of the International Society for Equitation Science and has been inducted into the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame, the International Equine Veterinarians Hall of Fame, the Midwest Dressage Association Hall of Fame and the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame. She is a lifelong rider and has competed in many equestrian sports currently focusing on dressage.
Lars Roepstorff
Lars Roepstorff graduated as a veterinary surgeon 1985. He has practised as an equine clinician both in private practice at different clinics and at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). He has worked closely to equestrian sports with assignment as a national team vet and as a lecturer in continuing education of professional trainers. He has headed the department of Equine Studies at SLU. His scientific work has focused on biomechanical studies of equine locomotion with the overall aim to improve equine health and soundness. In 2011 he became Professor in Equine Functional anatomy and currently he works with applied biomechanics in three different areas; development of tools for objective equine lameness diagnostics, horse-rider interaction and equine footings.
Thilo Pfau
In September 2021, Dr. Thilo Pfau moved from Great Britain to join the faculties of Kinesiology and Veterinary Medicine at UCalgary. He is currently developing a lab in Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Pfau has a multidisciplinary research background in animal biomechanics mainly with high performance horses. He combines his expertise in computer science, particularly in data processing and information extraction, and pattern recognition, with extensive experience in research in fundamental and applied locomotor biomechanics.
Michael A. Weishaupt
Prof. Dr. Michael Weishaupt graduated in Veterinary Medicine in 1989 at the University of Berne. Between 1990 and 1993 he worked as an assistant at the Swiss National Stud in Avenches and completed his doctoral thesis on “The relationship among local structural, biochemical and functional variables describing muscle oxidative capacity in horses and steers” at the Department of Large Animal Medicine of the University of Berne.
Since fall 1993 he has worked at the Vetsuisse-Faculty of the University of Zurich and is in charge of the Equine Performance Centre, a clinical as well as research division of the Equine Department. His special interests are equine sports medicine and rehabilitation, exercise physiology, diseases of the upper airways, equine orthopaedics, shoeing and biomechanics.
In 2004 he finished his PhD on “The compensatory mechanisms of weight bearing lameness in horses”. In 2010 he received the Venia legendi of the University of Zurich for Equine Sports Medicine and Exercise Physiology. Dr.Weishaupt is diplomate of the American College of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation and member of the research committee of the International Conference on Canine and Equine Locomotion (ICEL).
In addition to a number of research papers in the field of sports medicine and biomechanics, he has published as editor two e-learning tools, one on equine upper airway diseases (Equad) and one on shoeing and diseases of the hoof (e-hoof.com).
Dr. Weishaupt is an accredited racetrack veterinarian, member of the veterinary advisory board of the Swiss Horseracing Federation, member of the accreditation board of the European Federation of Farriers Associations (EFFA) and founding member of the Sporthorse Welfare Foundation (SWF).
Filipe Serra Bragança
Filipe Manuel Serra Bragança was born in 1988 in Portugal. He graduated in 2013, from the Veterinary University of Lisbon. After graduation, he performed his internship at an equine practice in the UK. In late 2014 he started his PhD at Utrecht University (the Netherlands) performing research in biomechanics and equine locomotion, focusing on objective gait analysis. The main goal of his PhD was the further development and clinical implementation of techniques of objective gait analysis and lameness assessment in the horse based on motion-capture and IMU-sensor technology. Currently he is leading the locomotion reseach team at Utrecht University together with René van Weeren. Current projects: further development of a sensor-based systems for gait and performance analysis, objective assessment of horses with back pain, genetics of gait, development of gait analysis modalities for different gaits (inclining the gaits of the Icelandic horse), integration and standardization of surface EMG in horses and usage of machine learning techniques to study locomotion.
Nikae te Moller
Nikae te Moller (1990) studied Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University (NL) from 2008 to 2015. In 2015, she was awarded a PhD fellowship by NWO (The Dutch Research Council) at the Department of Equine Sciences in Utrecht and in close collaboration with the University of Eastern Finland. Her focus was on intra-articular imaging of the articular cartilage and investigating biomarkers for early stages of articular cartilage damage, as well as the influence of cartilage damage and exercise on the equine joint. She obtained her PhD degree in December 2019. From 2016 to 2017 Nikae also worked as a certified equine practitioner in the on-call rota of the Equine Ambulatory Clinic at Utrecht University. Since 2021, she has a part-time position as a postdoctoral researcher in the equine locomotion research team in Utrecht. She supervised multiple master students during their research internship and is currently closely involved in the supervision of the PhD candidates in the locomotion team. In 2018 she was granted a UU Public Engagement Seed Fund which she used to gain outreach, expressing her research to the general public through dance, together with L.O.F. DanceCrew Utrecht where she danced herself. Recently, she was awarded the "Veterinary Fire" grant by the FVM Utrecht for a project on pain and welfare in horses. Besides her work, Nikae is passionate about dance and music, and she likes being outdoor and visiting the theatre.
Ineke H. Smit
Ineke H. Smit (1994) graduated in 2019 from human movement sciences at the Vrije Universiteit (the Netherlands). Her Bachelor (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) and Master (Amsterdam Medical Center) research projects focused on evaluating the effects of certain interventions on (the energetic cost of) human locomotion. Here she gained experience in using technologies such as surface electromyography, force plates and optical motion capture to grasp different aspects of human movement. After her studies, she was hired as a PhD candidate in the equine locomotion group at Utrecht University, faculty of veterinary medicine. Her research focusses on unraveling chains of movement in both sound and lame horses. In order to do this she is adding tools to objective gait analysis, both in terms of software (by evaluating more continuous signals) and hardware (by using surface electromyography).
Jeanne Parmentier
Jeanne I.M. Parmentier (1995) graduated in 2018 from the Biology Engineering department of Université de Technologie de Compiègne (France). Her Bachelor‘s (France) and Master’s (Texas, USA) projects focused on developing measurement tools and algorithms to gather biomechanical information from equine and ovine inertial measurement units, 3D motion capture, and force plate data. Once her diploma was obtained, she was hired as a research engineer by the École Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort (France) and worked in close collaboration with the CIRALE in Normandie to develop an equine locomotion quantification tool. In 2019, she moved to the Netherlands to start a PhD track with the Pervasive Computing Group from the University of Twente and the Clinical Sciences Department of the Utrecht University Veterinary Faculty. Her research focuses on using sensor networks combined with machine and deep learning techniques to bring more information to the different stakeholders during equine locomotion evaluations, including kinetic and kinematic analyses, context detection, and lameness detection.
Rhana M. Aarts
Rhana Aarts (1993) obtained her bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry with a specialization on Equine, Leisure and Sports from VHL University of Applied Sciences (NL) in 2016. As part of this, she completed a minor at Writtle University College (UK) focusing on Equine Science and Equine Sports therapy. In 2019 she graduated from Wageningen University (NL) with a Master’s degree in Animal Sciences specializing in Animal Nutrition and Adaptation Physiology. During her studies she conducted research with various animal species, including pigs, calves, cats, dogs and horses. She worked as a researcher for an animal nutrition company, before starting her PhD in 2021 at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University. Due to her interest in biomechanics, (exercise)physiology and animal welfare her PhD will focus on combining biomechanical and physiological parameters in order to improve equine welfare and performance during training and/or competitions. On a personal level, Rhana has been horse-riding since the age of 7 in various disciplines and has worked in a variety of stables around the world.
Michelle Teunissen
Michelle Teunissen (1991) is a veterinarian with a focus on translational research. She started her Bachelor‘s degree in Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University in 2009. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, Michelle was selected for the Master‘s Honours Program, where she researched growth plate differences in large and small breed dogs under the guidance of Professor Marianna Tryfonidou. During her Master’s studies, she also participated in the Cornell Veterinary Leadership Program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York in 2016.
After completing her Master‘s degree cum laude, Michelle pursued a PhD studying the mechanisms behind joint distraction, where she obtained funding for studies that resulted in the first canine patient being treated with knee joint distraction. She successfully defended her PhD thesis, titled "A Joint Effort: How dogs contribute and benefit from the ’One medicine’ approach to osteoarthritis," in 2022.
Michelle’s focus on translational research has led her to continue her career as a post-doctoral researcher at Utrecht University, where she is working on developing in vitro models for osteoarthritis and investigating new methods to evaluate joint pain in dogs.
Joep Suskens
Joep J.M. Suskens graduated as a human movement scientist at the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences of the VU Amsterdam in 2018. After his graduation, he started his PhD on hamstring injury prevention among athletes under the supervision of prof. dr. Gino Kerkhoffs, prof. dr. Hans Tol and dr. Guus Reurink at the department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the Amsterdam UMC hospital. Here, he worked with diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI), surface electromyography and motion capture to investigate the effects of injury prevention exercises on hamstring muscle characteristics.
While finalizing his PhD-thesis, Joep continued his career as an academic researcher at the department of Clinical Sciences at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University within the field of Equine Musculoskeletal Biology, focusing on the development of reference values for surface electromyography and motion capture application to evaluate horse lameness and rehabilitation progress.