ARCHIVE EQUINE NEWS STORIES

Story by: Jackie Bellamy Zions

Missing the excitement leading up to the Royal Winter Fair? Us too! Equine Guelph and its safety partners have come up with a way for all the horse crazy youth to keep fueling their passion to learn more about their favorite animal. Instead of setting up the immensely popular EquiMania! display this November, Equine Guelph is setting up a free virtual classroom for youth (13 – 17), where they will be able to take an Equine Behaviour & Safety course on demand until February 2021!

The Free Youth Equine Behaviour & Safety course will launch on November 6th on TheHorsePortal.ca and remain open until February 6th. This self-paced course has been made possible thanks to Equine Guelph’s safety partners: ESSO, Kubota Canada, Ontario Equestrian, SSG Gloves, System Fencing and Workplace Safety & Prevention Services.

With no specific time to be online, the on-demand platform is set up to be super flexible and user friendly. There is approximately two-week’s worth of material and activities but with this special offering, kids can keep coming back as often as they like for 3-months. Tell your friends, tell your barn, tell your ‘Ag’ group!

This course valued at $100 has been a game changer for many youth learning to speak horse and also for adults who have taken the offering designed for those over 18. Next Adult offering runs Nov 30 – Dec 11. One of our students from Uganda was recognized by their Olympic committee for the knowledge she gained, and how it could be applied in their equine community. Check out her story!

Course Topics include:

1. Horse Behaviour – Wild vs Stabled
2. How Horses See and Hear
3. Herd Behaviour – How Horses Interact with Each Other
4. Horse Handling – Basic Safety Around Horses
5. Rider/Helmet Safety
6. Safe Trailering – Basics
7. Fire Safety
8. Safety around the Barn and Paddocks
9. Returning from an Injury

There will be many more points to ponder as students go through a multitude of videos from industry professionals including past expert guest speaker: Dr. Rebecca Gimenez-Husted. As a world-renowned instructor on technical large animal emergency rescue, Gimenez has a wealth of experience when it comes to horse behaviour and safe handling. For more information on Dr. Gimenez please visit the TLAER website .

“Thank you for doing the youth horse behaviour and safety course,” says Lillian (a past student of the Horse Behaviour and Safety Youth Course). “I really enjoyed the course and learned a lot. The course was really fun, and I wish it was longer.”

Now everyone can spend a little longer enjoying this self-paced special free offering!

Equine Guelph would like to thank our loyal sponsors: ESSO, Kubota Canada, Ontario Equestrian, SSG Gloves, System Fencing and Workplace Safety & Prevention Services, for making this free offering possible.

Get all your barn buddies (age 13 – 17) together and sign up today for this awesome opportunity to stay safe and pursue your passion for horses online!