Ivana’s profile as a veterinarian, bodyworker, and clinical anatomist provides her with a broad perspective about the structures, functions, and limitations of the horse’s body.
Initially, she was satisfied with the knowledge provided by veterinary anatomy and applied that understanding during her early dissection classes. However, as she gained more experience, she began to encounter discrepancies between her observations during dissections and what was documented in textbooks. This led her to use soft tissue preserving dissections to map and document her findings. While the experience was captivating, it also highlighted the vast gaps in our understanding of the anatomy of soft tissue. Her explorations revealed numerous undiscovered structures and connections.
In her quest for knowledge, Ivana has kept up with advancements in human research, with a focus on fascia. This journey led her to the principles of biotensegrity—a concept that initially felt alien to her but gradually made sense of what she was observing in equine bodies. Embracing the role of a student once more, she is eager to dive deeper into applied biotensegrity.
Ivana finds great joy in sharing her work with other professionals through productive brainstorming sessions and thought-provoking discussions, fostering curiosity that enables us to make informed decisions grounded in evidence rather than tradition. To respect the horse’s innate design, Ivana believes that we must fully understand their physiology and anatomy before making any interventions. Having taught dissection classes for over 20 years, Ivana has created an online, guided, whole-horse dissection course utilizing her extensive archive. She shares her discoveries on her Facebook page Equine Anatomy in Layers, and hosts a Patreon page by the same name to support her ongoing work. She also authored the Atlas of the Equine Musculoskeletal System, a valuable resource for manual therapists. As a bodyworker, she has co-developed a gentle soft-tissue technique called The Equine Touch and The Canine Touch.
https://www.patreon.com/equineanatomyinlayers