Equine Guelph, the horse centre at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, has announced that Dr. Brianne Henderson of Rivendell Equine Veterinary Services will act as course instructor for the new Sport Horse Injury/Lameness Prevention & Care course. She will be joined by renowned professor and farrier, Travis Burns of Virginia, U.S.A., in the role of guest expert. This new two-week online short course, kindly sponsored by CapriCMW Insurance Services, runs from April 25 – May 6, 2022. It is the latest offering from Equine Guelph – the first organization in the world to offer university-accredited online education to the global equine community, serving over 40 countries to date.

This course can be of benefit for all horse owners, trainers, riders and farriers to help prevent injury and manage lameness.  The goal is to focus on evidence-based medicine and dive into the rapidly developing world of injury prevention and rehabilitation.  Everything from early detection of lameness, footing and exercise regime can have an impact on soundness.

Participants will learn daily practices that can optimize health and performance and reduce the risk of lameness issues in their athletic horses. Course facilitators: Dr. Bri Henderson, Instructor; Travis Burns and Mike King, Guest Experts and Trish Mrakawa, Industry Ambassador are excited to be part of this inaugural Equine Guelph Online course.

Henderson has been immersed in the equine world since birth, growing up on an Arabian and Sport Horse breeding/training farm in Niagara, Ontario. Her involvement in the world of endurance racing includes experience as a competitor and a line veterinarian from grass roots to an international level of competition.  Henderson was the Assistant Team Veterinarian for Team Canada at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington Kentucky.   Henderson graduated from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, Scotland, focused on equine sports medicine and surgery and is a board-certified veterinarian.  Her love of the equine athlete and focused interest in surgery has bolstered a great love of anatomy and understanding “form to function”.

Mike King from CapriCMW Insurance Services Ltd, has been a leader in the equine insurance business for more than 25 years.

Travis Burns, Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech is a Certified Journeyman Farrier with both the Therapeutic and Educator Endorsements from the American Farriers Association. He is one of 6 Americans to become a Fellow in the Worshipful Company of Farriers by examination from the United Kingdom, the FWCF. He currently serves as the Chief of Farrier Services in the Equine Podiatry Service of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

In the role of industry ambassador, Trish Mrakawa will be active in the discussion boards daily in what is sure to be a very lively, interactive course!  Currently the owner, trainer and head coach of Willow Grove Stable in Alberta, Trish is passionate about professional development as a coach, speaker and author.  She is an award-winning, Equestrian Canada, High Performance Jump Coach with students achieving their goals at Spruce meadows and across North America.  Always looking for opportunities, Trish is looking forward to meeting everyone in this exciting new course.

Henderson and the guest experts will be discussing common lameness issues for horses as well as early detection and prevention.  You will learn about the horse’s musculoskeletal system, how horses move, best practices for detecting lameness, assessment tools, management of a lame horse and the latest research.

Henderson has shared her lameness prowess in many interesting articles including this archived article:  Legs, Common Injuries, and how we can Treat Them.  Henderson explains, “Bone is always changing and responding to stress. Microdamage can occur within the bone as a consequence of repetitive strain. Overtraining causes this “microdamage” to occur at a faster rate than the body can fix and so the repair is never as strong as the original bone. A similar ‘micro-damage-repair’ cycle occurs within the tendons and ligaments.” The chance of repetitive strain injuries can be significantly reduced with judicious training and the incorporation of lighter work days and rest days.

Tuition investment is $95. Special 15% discount from Equine Guelph for PTSO members across Canada $80.75. Register now at Sport Horse Injury/Lameness Prevention & Care and block off April 25 – May 6, 2022 on your calendars.