Standardbred Canada (SC) is partnering with Equine Guelph (EG) to offer a free online course to SC members on Racehorse Gut Health & Colic Prevention from March 7 to March 18. 

The course is available FREE to the first 150 SC Members that register. There are a limited number of spots still available. To register, click here.

Given the demanding life of the equine athlete, a high number of racehorses are at risk of digestive tract health concerns such as ulcers and colic. In this online short course by Equine Guelph on TheHorsePortal.ca, you can learn from experts how to reduce the chance of digestive tract issues in your barn and improve your horse’s performance on the track.

Equine nutrition expert Dr. Kathleen Crandell has been announced as the guest expert for the course. Dr. Crandell is an Equine Nutrition Professional with an MS in Equine Nutrition and Exercise Physiology and PhD in Equine Nutrition and Reproduction from Virginia Tech. For the past 18 years, she has worked in the field of equine nutrition with an international nutritional research/consulting company and a university. Her special interest is feed formulation and she has worked with feed mills around the world in designing quality concentrates for horses. Her passion is evaluating and improving equine diets and she has consulted with some of the top equestrians in providing sound nutritional programs for their horses.

Course instructor Nicole Weidner will help students understand the different types of colic and assess their current management plans.  Risks will be identified and addressed with practical ways to promote good digestive health.  Participants will learn daily practices that can optimize health and performance and develop preventative strategies to lower the risk of colic in racehorses.

Objectives for the course include:

• Identifying risk factors associated with colic
• Understanding different types of colic
• Detecting early signs and symptoms of colic
• Assessing your management plan
• Developing preventative strategies
• Implementing practical ways to reduce your colic risk

Standardbred Canada and Equine Guelph’s educational partnership was officially launched with SC’s sponsorship of the Racehorse Respiratory Health Course, made available free to SC members last winter.

The ongoing Standardbred Canada-Equine Guelph partnership also provides a 15 per cent discount on all short courses for its member owners, breeders, trainers, caretakers and drivers to receive online industry training on The Horse Portal.

Equine Guelph has been a pioneer and global leader in online education for equine professionals since its inception in 2003. The Horse Portal was launched in 2017 and became a national success, partnering with 10 English-speaking provincial equestrian federations across Canada. It is a partnership platform for the equine community, available to everyone in the equine industry. The Horse Portal has quickly grown to include youth organizations, international safety associations, and horse racing partners including Standardbred Canada, Ontario Racing, Central Ontario Standardbred Association, Horse Racing Alberta and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (2019-20 Online Training Pilot Project). Standardbred Canada members will be able to access their page for information on the free Racehorse Gut Health & Colic Prevention course and ongoing 15 per cent course discount at TheHorsePortal.ca/SC.