Equine Guelph invites the racing community to join a free online course designed to help prevent injuries and manage lameness in racehorses.
This two-week program (five to 10 hours per week) is tailored for trainers, grooms and racing professionals who want to deepen their understanding of equine musculoskeletal health and injury prevention. Free for Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) license holders and Standardbred Canada members aged 16+. For other members of the racing community, the course is available for a tuition of $95.
Past students have found the course transformative in how they approach training.
“I am looking at horses differently when they move,” said one student.
“The videos in the first few units were very helpful. They showed the bones, ligaments, muscle tissue and how they moved/worked together,” added another student.
Noticing and addressing subtle cues before the horse becomes lame are key to avoiding long lay-offs due to injury. With input from experienced veterinarians and researchers such as Dr. Jeff Thomason, the course is packed full of practical tips delivered in easy-to-understand video presentations.
Course Instructor: Dr. Melissa McKee
Dr. McKee grew up immersed in the local horse industry, gaining hands-on experience through coaching, training and competing in multiple disciplines. She worked in a saddlery and apprenticed with a farrier before competing at the advanced level in three-day eventing across the United States. After earning her veterinary degree, she practiced at a large equine referral hospital in New Jersey, specializing in surgery, lameness, medicine and emergency care. She later worked in Alberta before returning to Ontario as a founding partner of McKee-Pownall Equine Services.
Dr. McKee is certified in Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapy (COAC) and has served on multiple American Association of Equine Practitioners committees, including Scholarship, Racing, Education and Ethics. She also represents the equine sector for the Ontario Animal Health Network. Her professional interests include lameness, diagnostic imaging, MRI, VSMT and racehorse/sports medicine practice.
Guest Expert: Dr. Albert Torrent
Dr. Torrent earned his LV (Licencia Veterinaria) in 2005 from Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU in Valencia, Spain. He completed internships at leading equine practices across Europe and Canada, as well as at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. His advanced training includes a large animal surgery residency at University of California-Davis, completed in 2017, and he became an American College of Veterinary Surgeons Diplomate (Large Animal) in 2019.
Currently, Dr. Torrent is an equine emergency surgeon at the Ontario Veterinary College, where he teaches in the DVM and graduate programs. His research focuses on clinically relevant projects that improve equine patient outcomes, with current work on gastrointestinal health and hoof-related issues.
Course Details
Noticing subtle cues before a horse becomes lame is key to avoiding long lay-offs and costly injuries. Participants will gain practical tips through easy-to-understand video presentations and interactive discussions with industry ambassadors Julie Walker and Renée Kierans.
- Dates: Jan. 26 – Feb. 6, 2026
- Format: Online, flexible learning, no prior online learning experience required
- Cost: Free for AGCO license holders and Standardbred Canada members (16+). For other members of the racing community, the course is available for a tuition of $95.
- Registration: Visit thehorseportal.ca to sign up for the Racehorse Injury Lameness Prevention & Care course
“We warmly invite the racing community to join us in a free educational journey on thehorseportal.ca,” said Gayle Ecker, Equine Guelph director. “The Racehorse Injury/Lameness Prevention & Care course provides practical tools and expert insights to help racing professionals detect issues early, reduce downtime and keep horses performing at their peak while prioritizing their long-term health and welfare.”
Coming Soon
Following industry demand, Equine Guelph is launching a new online course, Conditioning the Racehorse from Feb. 23 – March 6, 2026. This course translates conditioning science into practical strategies for injury prevention and performance enhancement. Learn how different body systems contribute to athletic ability and explore the latest research in exercise science. Learn more and save your spot for the Conditioning the Racehorse course via thehorseportal.ca.
These courses are made possible thanks to the generous support of Central Ontario Standardbred Association, The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and Standardbred Canada.
(With files from Equine Guelph)