ARCHIVE EQUINE NEWS STORIES

In 2003, Equine Guelph became the horse owner’s Centre at the University of Guelph and launched the first online equine studies program in the world! 15 years later, the award-winning programs continue to be in demand, with many accolades for the quality of instruction, level of interactivity and flexible online study that fits into busy lives. Students benefit from leading instructors, industry experts, internationally renowned guest speakers and join a community of horse enthusiasts around the globe keen to share their experiences and learn from one another.

Tuition Awards for Ontario Racing Industry Members

Thanks to the support of families and organizations providing support to educate future industry professionals to be champions for the health and welfare of horses, Equine Guelph has two tuition awards on offer: The Stuart Stocks Memorial Equine Award and the Roger L’Heureux Memorial Equine Award.

“Knowledge acquired in Equine Guelph online courses has opened doors for me in the industry,” says, Standardbred breeder, and past recipient of both awards, Cameron Lago. “The racing industry is a tight-knit community and since taking the courses, I have seen a few big name trainers pushing towards hiring Equine Guelph students and have motivated a few friends to look into them.”

After taking the online Exercise Physiology course, Lago says he gleaned important information on how different muscle fibers are being used and how their composition will reflect on how well the horses perform at the track. Learning about bone remodeling has had an impact on how he will train his foals; walking at increased rates progressively as they grow up to ensure bone structure can handle training while maintaining a balance of not pushing so hard that it becomes an animal welfare issue.

Entries for the next Stuart Stocks Memorial Equine Award will be accepted until Nov 15, 2018.

Entries for the next Roger L’Heureux Memorial Equine Award will be accepted until Nov 27, 2018.

Apply for Tuition Awards today!

Certificate and Diploma Programs or a Special Interest Course

Whether you are interested in taking one course to improve your knowledge as a horse owner or looking for a pathway to a professional career in the horse industry, Equine Guelph has a course to suit you.

Management of the Equine Environment student, Gail Staines says, “This has been absolutely the best class I have taken online!! I've taught online and taken courses online over many years. This course far outweighs all of them not only in ease of access online, but, most importantly, in content. Thank you!” Whether you are running your own facility or boarding you owe it to your horse to learn best practices to ensure their surroundings are safe and promote good health. Course instructor, Dr. Susan Raymond has completed a PhD, investigating the effects of exposure of horses to mycotoxins. Her background in air quality research leads to great discussions with students on practical recommendations for stable design and management.

Looking to maximize your horse’s performance and minimize risk of injury? Take Functional Anatomy to gain more understanding of the form and function of your equine athlete. Then progress to Exercise Physiology taking your horse’s fitness program to a whole new level with insight into targeting muscle development for your particular sport without overtraining. “Working through Equine Guelph’s interconnected courses, they build the knowledge and skills needed to have conversations with individuals from any part of the horse industry (researchers, equitation, stables, etc) with regards to the well-being of the horse,” says Lisa Bauer, Equine Guelph diploma graduate student.

Register early for the Equine Behaviour course. It fills up fast every semester with students keen to learn the nuances of the horse’s unique language and eager to understand the cognition of this most noble prey species. "The world of research on animal behaviour and cognition is growing rapidly, and this course can update you on learning theory and behavior,” says Equine Guelph director Gayle Ecker. “Does a horse feel grief? Are they right-brained or left-brained? Is it really necessary to take a ‘dominant herd leader’ approach? This course updates you on these questions and many more, and can be a real eye-opener for many people to learn about the new research findings!"

Equine Guelph meets the needs of beginner to the veteran horse caretakers, always separating myth from science.

Fall semester begins September 10th – Register today!