Equestrian Canada’s health and welfare committee has announced that on Sunday, April 15, Dr. Ashley Whitehead will be delivering a one and a half-hour Biosecurity Training Webinar.

Did you know that since February 1, 2018 (less than 60 days) there have been 45 reports of Equine Herpes Myelitis and four reports of strangles in the United States? Both of these diseases are entirely preventable, and are spread rapidly through horse shows, stables, and racetracks – wherever horses mix. Develop a plan for your facility or event with these free online workshops provided by Equestrian Canada.

Workshops are an hour and a half in length. Participants should have a high-speed internet connection, headphones and a computer. Horse event operators/facility managers/horse owners will participate actively in developing a biosecurity plan for their event or farm, coming away with a draft plan after the workshop. Biosecurity plan (disease prevention plans) are a crucial part of operating a profitable, well-respected facility or event.

Dr. Ashley Whitehead is following a Bachelor of Science program at the University of Guelph. Dr. Whitehead completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the Ontario Veterinary College in 2005. She then moved to Wisconsin where she completed a rotating equine internship at the Wisconsin Equine Clinic & Hospital. In 2006, Dr. Whitehead returned to Guelph to start a combined clinical residency and graduate degree program in large animal internal medicine. Dr. Whitehead obtained the status of Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (DACVIM) in 2012.

Dr. Whitehead practices within UCVM’s Distributed Veterinary Learning Community at Moore Equine Veterinary Centre and provides large animal internal medicine consultations. Dr. Whitehead’s clinical interests include equine health management, equine infectious diseases, equine gastrointestinal conditions, neonatal foal intensive care and camelid (llamas and alpacas) medicine. Dr. Whitehead is also trained in veterinary acupuncture.

Don't be the farm or event without a plan to prevent disease this season. The webinar is open to any horse owner, event operator or facility manger in Canada. If you are interested in participating, please register here.

(Equestrian Canada)