Certificate of Completion

Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion from Equine Guelph – the horse owner’s Centre at the University of Guelph.

Time Commitment:

• Occurs over a 2-week period
• 5-10 hour time commitment is required during this period
• No set times to be online!  Log in at your own convenience and learn at your own pace.
• Recommended you visit the course site at least 5 times a week, preferably once or more each day
• Course is entirely online, so travel to the University of Guelph is NOT required

Materials

• All materials are provided online within course site

Prerequisites

• 16 years of age or older
• Valid AGCO licence holders only!

For more information, please email horseportal@uoguelph.ca

Phone: 519 824-4120, ext. 54205

These individuals have provided their expertise and assistance in developing course videos and other content:

Dr. Jeff Thomason, Ontario Veterinary College

Well known for his ability to bring anatomy to life, Dr. Thomason teaches anatomy to veterinary students at the Ontario Veterinary College.   Dr. Thomason is a researcher conducting internationally recognized research on the equine hoof.

Dr. Melissa McKee, McKee-Pownall Equine Services

Dr. McKee grew up in the local horse industry. As well as coaching, training horses, and competing in many disciplines, she worked in a saddlery and apprenticed with a local farrier. She competed to advanced level in 3-day eventing throughout the United States prior to attending veterinary school.

After graduating, she worked in New Jersey at a large equine referral hospital that provided surgical care, lameness, medicine, emergency, and ambulatory practice, followed by a year in equine practice in Alberta before returning to Ontario as a founding partner of McKee-Pownall Equine Services. She is certified in Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapy through the COAC. Melissa has served on the American Association of Equine Practitioners Scholarship, Racing, Education, and Ethics committees, and is an Equine representative for the Ontario Animal Health Network.  Dr. McKee’s professional interests include lameness, diagnostic imaging, MRI, VSMT, and racehorse/sports medicine practice.

Dr Albert Torrent, Ontario Veterinary College

In 2005, Torrent obtained his LV (Licencia Veterinaria) from the Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU in Valencia, Spain. He went on to complete internships at several private equine practices around Europe and in Canada, as well as at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Torrent obtained additional work experience from private equine practices as well as private large animal practices in France, Belgium, and Canada. He then attended the University of California-Davis to begin a large animal surgery residency, completing his residency in 2017. Torrent was designated an American College of Veterinary Surgeons Diplomate (Large Animal) in 2019 and has worked as an equine surgeon at the University of Montreal.

While at the Ontario Veterinary College, Torrent focuses on equine clinical work primarily in the OVC Large Animal Clinic as an equine emergency surgeon. He teaches in the OVC DVM and graduate programs. His research interests include projects with direct clinical application that will result in quality of life and outcome improvements in equine patients. Currently, Torrent is working on projects related to the gastrointestinal tract and feet of horses.

Renée Kierans

My involvement in the horse racing industry has spanned close to 40 years, and covers many facets of the industry. My involvement with horses in general has been life long.

Jobs throughout the years have been those of an exercise rider, pony rider, outrider, starting gate crew, trainer and owner. I worked for 12 years doing on air broadcasting and handicapping for Woodbine and Mohawk, covering both thoroughbred and standardbred racing. I have also been an instructor for the Woodbine presented groom school on several occasion.

Aside form working with race horses, I love the time I get to spend working with show hunters and, when my schedule allows, competing in a few horse shows throughout the season.  My partner is a Hall of Fame standardbred trainer, so racing, and horses in general, are really my life not just my job, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Julie Walker

Born and raised in Owen Sound, I grew up in harness racing as part of a long family history with the trotter. I have trained horses since I was 19 years old and have been driving Standardbreds for 12 years. Now living in Guelph, I am managing a stable of 30 racehorses (over $4 million in purse earnings) and also have a rescue Standardbred.

Other involvement in the Standardbred racing includes participation in women driving challenges across Canada, acting as a Central Ontario Standardbred Association board member, organizer of Ontario’s first Racing Under Saddle (RUS) organization as well as sticking my toes in on the breeding side!  I look forward to being your Standardbred Ambassador and, together, learning more about the equine athletes we are lucky enough to work with every day.