Equine Guelph will offer two free racing-exclusive online courses on TheHorsePortal.ca in the winter of 2025.

For the past five years, Equine Guelph has delivered three online courses for free to over 1,000 stakeholders from the horse racing industry addressing the top three industry-identified healthcare issues facing racehorses: Respiratory, Lameness and Gut Health. 

With the support of racing industry education partners – Central Ontario Standardbred Association (COSA), The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), Ontario Racing (OR) and Standardbred Canada (SC) – Equine Guelph plans to expand its online training program for the horse racing industry and deliver more courses to the industry in support of racehorse health.

“Racehorses are elite athletes and peak performance can only be achieved with optimal health. Given the demanding life of the equine athlete, racehorses are at risk for a number of healthcare issues every day,” said Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph. “There are daily practices that can be employed to reduce the risk and we are pleased to share this practical information with the horse racing industry. We are looking forward to hearing from industry stakeholders about what they would like to learn about next!”

Online Racing-Exclusive Courses

Trainers, grooms, owners and other industry stakeholders from the Standardbred, Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing sectors will reap the benefits of learning the latest in equine healthcare through free access to these two online courses (value $95, free for AGCO Licensees & Standardbred Canada Members):

Racehorse Respiratory Health: Jan 27-Feb 7, 2025

Participants will learn daily practices that can optimize health and performance and reduce the risk of respiratory issues in equine athletes. The issue of bleeding will be a major point of discussion in course offering.

Racehorse Gut Health & Ulcer/Colic Prevention: Feb 24-Mar 7, 2025

Learn from experts how to reduce the chance of digestive tract issues in the barn and improve your horse’s performance on the track. Online discussions will include common causes of gut health issues such as ulcers and colic as well as providing advice for early detection and prevention.

The flexible two-week online courses are available 24/7 and feature a lively Discussion Board where students have the opportunity to submit questions to the experts! Industry members are encouraged to sign up for one or two courses, and repeat students are welcome back to join in the new discussions this winter.

Help your racehorses reach their full potential. For those who have never taken an online course before, no prior online learning experience is required. Limited registrations are available. Be sure to hold the dates and register now for these two-week racing-exclusive online courses!

(Equine Guelph)