management | Horse Racing Free Tips

Free, Online Equine Facility Management Certificate Available

Nothing compares to being greeted with nickers every morning, watching the herd peacefully graze, and sharing the strong horse/human bond with your customers. Equine industry pros are a passionate and hard-working bunch, who consider themselves lucky to earn a living doing what they love. Sadly, passion can quickly turn into despair for entrepreneurs attempting to start up their stable if business acumen is lacking. Equine Guelph is pleased to announce the Equine Facility Management Certificate, comprised of three short online courses on TheHorsePortal.ca including the new Equine Business 101 course which will be offered FREE for three months (June 21 through Sept 20, 2021)!

Equine Business 101 offers a starting point for those looking into the possibility of running their own facility or taking your business to the next level. It provides tips on developing business and marketing plans and explains how to avoid some of the common pitfalls horse business operators face. Inspirational and cautionary tales will be shared by pathfinders relaying their true-life stories of the trials and tribulations of starting their equine businesses. They will describe choices that were key to their success and decisions they would reconsider with the benefit of hindsight.

Students will be part of a community, sharing ideas and helpful tips with peers through discussion boards. Continued access to discussion boards will be available even after students complete the course!

“This new on-demand offering arose out of an abundance of interest to better understand the business of managing and/or starting an equine facility,” says Equine Guelph director, Gayle Ecker. “The objective is to provide some guidance for those that are interested in getting into the business or are looking to improve their existing businesses. Equine Guelph has been providing online educational pathways for horse industry professionals since 2003.”

Statistically, a high number of equine businesses do not succeed beyond their first few years. The goal of the Equine Business 101 course is to put you on a path to beat those odds. Throughout the course, you will be provided with some basic information to guide you in the creation of your plan to run a successful equine facility.

Those who are contemplating opening a horse business for lessons, boarding or training will benefit greatly from the information provided in the Equine Business 101 course including: risk management, value propositions and creating that all important business plan! Current facility owners and managers looking to rebrand and grow the business will also pick up some great marketing and event planning tips.

Students completing the following three courses short courses will be eligible for the new Equine Facility Management Certificate:

Horse Care & Welfare (2 wks.)
Sickness Prevention in Horses (2 wks.)
Equine Business 101 (self-paced, 20- 30 hours)

Future stable workers applying for jobs in the equine industry will stand out amongst other candidates if they have acquired the Equine Facility Management Certificate. They will enter the industry armed with evidenced-based knowledge on biosecurity and stable management practices that support optimal horse health and welfare.

This program is funded in part through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership Program (the Partnership), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Ontario Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Rural Affairs assists in the delivery of the Partnership in Ontario.

Collaborating partners include Grand River Agricultural Society, The Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario, Ontario Racing, Ontario Equestrian and Standardbred Canada. Other industry partners include: AgCareers, Central Ontario Standardbred Association, Ontario Harness Horse Association and Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario Inc.

Gryder Appointed 1/ST RACING VP of Industry Relations

Retired jockey Aaron Gryder has been appointed to the position of Vice President, Industry Relations for 1/ST RACING. Gryder will serve as a liaison between 1/ST RACING and industry stakeholders to help advance health, safety and rider reforms with a focus on jockey outreach. He will act as an ambassador for 1/ST RACING in California, Florida and Maryland.

Gryder, who will be based in Florida and, reports directly to Aidan Butler, 1/ST's chief operating officer. He will be a media spokesperson for the company and also a primary point of contact for horsemen stabled at 1/ST RACING venues.

“We are excited to welcome Aaron to the 1/ST RACING team in this vital new role,” said Butler. “Aaron's depth of experience as a professional jockey and work with industry stakeholders is a perfect connection to ensure our communications and relations between tracks, stakeholders and the public is transparent, detailed and consistent. His extensive knowledge of the racetrack is incredibly valuable as we continue to elevate our safety protocols and promote 1/ST RACING.”

Added Gryder: “I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with the forward-thinking team at 1/ST RACING to bring our sport into the future. As a jockey I conducted myself in a manner that displayed my love for the horses and respect for the great sport of horse racing. I will bring the same enthusiasm and work ethic that helped me to be successful throughout my career as a jockey to my new role.”

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Cellulitis: A Challenging Condition To Cure

Cellulitis is a sudden, painful skin infection that requires aggressive, immediate care. Most commonly affecting the hind legs, many horses recover readily, but complications are possible, and chronic flare-ups are a possibility.

Cellulitis occurs when bacteria penetrate the epidermis of the skin and multiplies in the subcutis, which is made up mainly of fatty and connective tissues. Primary cellulitis has no specific point of origin and exactly how it penetrates the skin is often unknown. Secondary cellulitis occurs when bacteria enter tissues through a known route, like a wound or surgical incision.

Cellulitis can be caused by a variety of bacteria and needs to be treated promptly. Left untreated, the infection can affect bone, tendon or synovial structures. Sepsis and laminitis can also occur.

Signs of cellulitis include:

Dramatic swelling that comes on rapidly and feels firm
Heat
Pain that tends to appear when the horse is asked to step forward rather than bear weight
Fever
Wetness: the swelling can progress rapidly to the point where fluid leaks from cracks in skin that is overstretched

A vet may take X-rays or do an ultrasound to rule out other possible issues like a joint infection or fracture. He or she may also culture the fluid weeping from the leg; this will help determine what bacteria is involved so that the proper antibiotic can be administered.

The primary treatment for cellulitis is intravenous antibiotics, as well as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories to help with pain and swelling. Cold hosing or ice boots or bandaging can also help.

Horses with secondary cellulitis tend to recover more rapidly. Though some cases of cellulitis can be managed at home, severe cases may need to be referred to an equine hospital.

Horses that have had even one episode of cellulitis become susceptible to chronic cellulitis, specifically in the same limb, whether the skin was permanently damaged from the extreme swelling or because circulatory and lymphatics systems have been damaged to the point that they are unable to mount an immune response. Horses that have had cellulitis even once should be monitored carefully as even the tiniest wound may initiate a new round of cellulitis.

Tips to avoid cellulitis recurrence:

Turn out the horse as much as possible in dry condition
Use shampoo sparingly when bathing
Avoid sharing grooming tools and sterilize them regularly

A Little To The Left: Does “Sidedness” Indicate Stress?

German researchers have completed a study that shows horses tend to become more “left-eyed” and “left-legged” when they are in stressful situations. This shift suggests that horses may be using the right side of their brains when confronting challenges; the right side of the brain deals with emotions. When the horse learns to handle the stress, they tend to revert back to left-brain hemisphere processing. The left side of a horse's brain deals with routine, reports The Horse.

Researcher Isabell Marr suggests that changes in laterality could be an effective tool in monitoring how horses are handling changes in their management or training. A shift to the left suggests a horse is stressed. Observations should be made about how often the horse uses his left side compared to his use of the right.

Sensory laterality is a horse's tendency to use one side of his face more than the other; using one side of the body more than the other is motor laterality. A stressed horse may shift left, but when he learns to cope with the stress, he will generally shift back to the right. Laterality is also associated with personality. Horses that tend to step forward with their right front, which indicates left brain dominance, tend to be more optimistic toward new stimuli.

The researchers followed 12 3-year-old sport horses as the geldings were shifted from being field-kept in a herd with no work regimen to box stalls and the beginning of under-saddle training. The scientists looked for correlations in laterality shifts and fecal stress indicators.

They found that when the horses were first moved into the box stalls that they preferred to use their left eye and ear for exploring and listening. By the second week they preferred the left leg over the right, observed by which leg they placed forward while eating.

The scientists conclude that laterality could be used to monitor how a horse is handling environmental changes; ongoing laterality may indicate a negative effect on his welfare.