Company Profile
EquiNew, LLC was established in 2006 as a company specializing in therapeutic modalities for use in the equine industry. EquiNew designs treatment equipment and protocols specifically for use with horses. The company is located in Western Wisconsin, 35 miles east of Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Electrical muscle stimulation is the foundation of EquiNew’s treatment options. Extensive clinical testing and research reviews has lead to the development of systems that obtain the best possible results for practitioners.
The unique physical and psychological characteristics of the horse must be taken into consideration in the design and use of equine modalities. Many companies have attempted to use equipment designed for humans and therefore have had limited success in treatment outcomes with horses. EquiNew is committed to developing the finest products for use specifically with horses.
Dr. Schils not only has a background in research and education, but has also balanced that education with many years of riding and training horses and riders. Therefore, her expertise in the field of biomechanics and rehabilitation therapy are supported by her practical experience working with horses and riders on a day-to-day basis. To develop her riding skills, she has worked with leading trainers, including a year spent riding for Eric Lette in Sweden, the International FEI Chair of Dressage. Her commitment to riding has led to numerous National and Regional awards in eventing and dressage. In 2013 and 2015, Dr. Schils qualified for the United States Dressage Federation National Finals, with the horse she trained, at Intermediate 1. They were in the top 20 horses in the United States at that level. Dr. Schils feels it is essential for the practitioner to be able to understand the details of the sport from a rider’s perspective, especially when setting up a rehabilitation therapy retraining protocol.
Meet Our Team
EquiNew prides itself on the extensive equine knowledge of one of the cofounders, Dr. Sheila Schils, who has been in the equine industry for over 25 years. She was a Professor at the University of Wisconsin before starting a private practice in the 2000s.
Dr. Schils actively works in the field of equine rehabilitation, specializing in the use of electrical stimulation for rehabilitation therapy. Her practice has involved all breeds and disciplines of riding from Western Pleasure to Saddle Seat to Jumping and Dressage. Injury rehabilitation is her main work, however injury prevention is an important part of Dr Schils’ practice as well.
Dr. Schils’ education includes a Ph.D. in Biomechanics/Kinesiology and a Master's in Animal Science with an emphasis in Equine Nutrition. She spent a year performing research with the International Equine Biomechanics Team in Sweden. This interaction focused on the importance of evaluating the biomechanics of the horse when dealing with injury and recovery. During her 20 years at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Schils taught courses in equine health, management, biomechanics and kinesiology.
Dr. Schils not only has a background in research and education, but has also balanced that education with many years of riding and training horses and riders. Therefore, her expertise in the field of rehabilitation therapy is supported by her practical experience working with horses and riders on a day-to-day basis. To develop her riding skills, she has worked with leading trainers, including a year spent riding for Eric Lette in Sweden, the International FEI Chair of Dressage. Her commitment to riding has led to numerous National and Regional awards in eventing and dressage. Dr. Schils feels it is essential for the practitioner to be able to understand the details of the sport from a rider’s perspective, especially when setting up a rehabilitation therapy retraining protocol.
(To the right, Dr. Sheila Schils at Prix St. George Regional Finals)
Dr. Piqueres holds a Veterinary degree from the Madrid Complutense University, specializing in equine physiotherapy and rehabilitation. To further her education she obtained a postgraduate degree in equine osteopathy, veterinary chiropractic and equine ultrasonography at the University in Barcelona (UAB). Upon graduation Dr. Piqueres began working at the Hospital ClÃnico Veterinario Alfonso X El Sabio (UAX, Madrid) where, following her two-year general medicine and surgery residency, she took over responsibility of the physiotherapy unit. She then moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina and for 5 years was in charge of the Equine Rehabilitation Service at the Centro Kawell.
In 2012, Dr. Piqueres first met Dr. Sheila Schils and started working with the EquiNew Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) system. Since then Dr. Piqueres has integrated FES into her practice, and she feels this technology has considerably improved the outcome of her rehabilitation program. Dr. Piqueres has since become a distributor for EquiNew products in Europe. Please feel free to contact Dr. Piqueres at [email protected] and she will be pleased to offer you further information about the EquiNew FES device and its benefits. English and Spanish spoken.
Ms. Bruil resides in the Netherlands and has been active in the horse industry from a young age. She has been a licensed trainer for more than 20 years and her equine training and lesson business includes international clients as far abroad as the Middle East. Ms. Bruil's formal education is in economics having worked for many years in banking in the Netherlands. A few years later Ms. Bruil took her expertise in management and began working for a college in curriculum development for economics and sport-related studies.
Ms. Bruil concurrently worked in both the horse industry and in economics until 2008 when she decided to focus full-time on the equine industry. Ms. Bruil's desire early in her career was to become a veterinarian and this was a driving force as she began to explore the area of equine rehabilitation. Ms. Bruil became interested in Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) after seeing the results on my own horses, as well as colleagues' horses, and she became a distributor for EquiNew's products in 2013.
EquiNew's co-founder, lead engineer and designer was William Eubank. We lost Bill in July of 2013. Bill's expertise was in electronics and embedded software and he had worked extensively within the engineering industry for over 35 years. His specialty was in developing new products that contain microcontrollers. The following is a small sampling of the products Bill helped design:
Process gas chromatograph
Arc emission spectrophotometer
Automatic milking machine
Power line monitoring system
Motor home generator
Dynamic wheel chair cushion
Avionics control
Pulsing power supply
EDUCATION: M.S., University of Minnesota; B.S., University of Wisconsin
Bill is greatly missed.