Zarna Carter

Dip App Sc Bot Med & Hom

11 Casuarina St

Wirrabara

South Australia, 5481

Email: zcs@protonmail.com

Mobile: +61 477 945 006

"Horses demand honesty,

offering rich rewards to those who of us who enter into dynamic,

humane equine partnerships.

I applaud all who pursue non force methods of horse training

and horse care with the aim of

advancing the quality of life of horses and people."

Zarna is the Director of the EPR Institute presenting EPR in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

Life long passions for social justice and humane treatment of animals, lead to the development of Equine Positional Release.

Zarna devised Equine Positional Release during her studies in Ortho-Bionomy.  Equine Positional release was developed from the fusion of Zarna's clinical experience as a Homoeopath, Herbalist and Ortho-Bionomist, with her background in social activism, non-violent horse handling and work in the Australian pastoral industry. The non force, self corrective approach of holistic medicine fused well with her non force, co operative approach to holistic horse health care and management. 

The development of EPR and classes for horse people and horse professionals, lead to the growth of the EPR Professional Certificate Program. As the EPR training program grew in popularity the EPR Institute opened to administer and advance the EPR Professional Practitioner Training Program.

“Shaping the Equine Positional Release Practitioner Training Program

is a stimulating process. The body of work has grown over the years,

providing high quality specialist training for equine professionals and horse people.”

EPR is accredited as a modality with Equine Positional Release Institute and the International Institute of Complementary Therapies.

EPR is recognised by Ortho-Bionomy Australia and the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International as an adaptation of Ortho-Bionomy specifically designed for the horse and the horse and rider and accredited as an elective in the Ortho-Bionomy Practitioner Program

Qualifications:

Diploma of Applied Science in Western Botanic Medicine, Adelaide, South Australia.

Diploma of Applied Science in Homoeopathy, Adelaide, South Australia.

Certificate of Clinical Nutrition I & II, Adelaide, South Australia.

Certificate in Advanced Homoeopathy and Homoeotherapeutics, Calcutta, India.

Ortho-Bionomy Instructor and Advanced Practitioner, Australia and USA.

Memberships:
Australian Traditional Medicine Society.

Spanish Mustang Foundation

Zarna was introduced to the Spanish Mustang horses and the Spanish Mustang Foundation in 2008.

The mission of the Spanish Mustang Foundation (SMF) is to "educate the public about the Spanish Mustangs, to protect and perpetuate the breed...to strengthen and preserve this exceptional horse, through educational activities and preservation practices."

Zarna proudly supports the efforts of the SMF and has had the pleasure to collaborate with the people and horses associated with the Little Cayuse Ranch and La Jara Ranch.

Spanish Mustangs                                                           

Photo courtesy of Sierra Perkins La Jara Spanish Mustangs

Mustang Tranqillo
Excerpt from "Mustang Tranquillo, A Meeting of the Ways, Spanish Mustangs and Equine Positional Release."

The aim of the SMF holding an EPR training was two-fold:
Firstly to hold an educational program focusing on non-force equine body work. EPR has applications useful to training and re-education of the mustangs. Secondly, to promote public understanding of the Spanish Mustang, highlighting their unique nature and physiology. The EPR focus on creating a working relationship as a partnership, facilitated by moving the body into the direction of ease, complements the nature and behaviour of the Spanish Mustang.

Donna Mitchell and Jim Sloan of La Jara Ranch  (formally of 'The Little Cayuse Ranch') talk of their experiences of the approach of EPR. Donna: "We saw in each horse the distinctive way in which they moved, how they turned their head while walking or moved their feet. Each horse displayed a tendency to move in a certain manner. It may not start out as a medical problem but it shows up more as the horse gets more demands placed upon them in work."

Jim: "You look at the big picture and then narrow it down to the little things: the habit, the behaviour, movement pattern determining where the problems come from. It is like a ripple in the water. We are looking for the point from where the ripple emanates. There is a multiplicity in the approach. We find the kinks which help unpick the problem and like the ripple effect it has diverse and far reaching responses.

The assessment is complex as habitual patterns get established and overlaid in the horse overtime which can confuse the practitioner and also confuse the person using the horse. The nature of the mustang, their high intelligence allows them to disguise certain things."

It is this very nature and intelligence which makes working with the Spanish Mustang so rewarding. Developing rapport and trust with the horses is an essential part of EPR. When working with these mustangs you earn their respect and thus they are great teachers and become cherished friends.

As the SMF continues in their efforts to understand the nuances of this particular breed, the clinic was a successful endeavour for several reasons. It enabled various trainers and horse people to explore the relationships between the nature of the mustang and their behaviour and specifically the link between health and behaviour.

We had multiple examples of foot, shoulder and back problems and pain and its affect on behaviour in the herd and with people. Using comfortable positioning to work with these problems created a calm environment and a tangible bond between the mustangs and the people, a meeting of the ways.

Jim described the overall feeling of the clinic as one of tranquillity. "The measure of the experience can be best expressed by the Spanish term 'tranquillo', the feeling when all is well and you let your guard down and are at ease." This ease and tranquillity was exhibited by the horses through out the weekend.

Holistic Horse

Fusion for Horse and Rider

Equine Wellness   

Sustainability and Self-Correction for horse and rider. Equine Positional Release in action

Horses and People

Equine Positional Release. Holistic Non-Force Joint Mobilisation

Equine Positional Release and Limb Deformities in Foals

The Farriers Journal

Equine Positional Release for Farriers and Trimmers

3-Part Series, Issue 158, Oct 2012; Issue 159, Dec 2012 and Issue 160, Feb 2013

Chiron - Journal of the Australian Holistic Veterinarians

Equine Positional Release

Edited and Published:

The EPR Drum 2007-2014

The EPR Drum Journal 2011-2014

Ortho-Bionomy Australia Newsletter 2010

Contributed to:

Florida Sport Horse

Santa Fe Monthly

WA Equestrian

Hoof Beats

Ortho-Bionomy International News

New Zealand Ortho-Bionomy Association News

To schedule an appointment contact:

EPR Institute

11 Casuarina St

Wirrabara

South Australia, 5481

Australia

Email: zcs@protonmail.com

Mobile: +61 477 945 006