September is Senior Horse Education Month at Equine Guelph

We love our senior citizens of the equine community. Keeping up with their changing needs as they age becomes easy with the resources available from Equine Guelph. Learning to advocate for the health and welfare of your silent senior is a duty every horse owner will eventually encounter. A great place to check your preparedness is with Equine Guelph’s free interactive healthcare tool for September– the Senior Horse Challenge (http://www.thehorseportal.ca/SeniorHorseTool).

A super quick 20-question quiz will test your current knowledge on early intervention for health challenges, pain recognition, potential management changes and more common concerns. Available on Equine Guelph’s education platform, TheHorsePortal.ca, the Senior Horse Challenge (http://www.TheHorsePortal.ca/SeniorHorseTool) is kindly sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Canada.

As horses are living longer, maintaining their health and well-being is imperative for their quality of life,” says Randy Trumpler, Equine Business Unit Director at Boehringer Ingelheim. “This online tool and The Senior Horse course offered by Equine Guelph are great resources that provide practical ways to prepare for your horse’s golden years.”

Once you have completed the challenge, we know it will whet your appetite to learn more about providing optimal health for your four legged friend. Sign up for The Senior Horse online course offered Sept 18 – 29, 2023 with instructor Dr. Bettina Bobsien. The feedback from our inaugural offering last year was amazing!

“I really enjoyed this course about The Senior Horse and their particular characteristics and needs that we have learned. The instructor and the facilitator were very knowledgeable, open and available to answer all the questions from the group on different topics.” Said Lucie Goyette, Groom/Manager/Coach/Breeder (Sherbrooke, QC). “This is a course I would absolutely recommend to anyone who owns an aging horse or anyone who cares for or works with these horses because they deserve to have the best possible care until the end of their life.”

“We are very excited to have Dr. Bobsien bringing her wealth of experience and passion for equine welfare to our second offering of this very important course,” says Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph. “Many welfare issues, such as excessive weight loss should not be accepted as a normal part of aging. Our Senior horse course provides owners with the tools to spot the red flags and adopt new management strategies before subtle changes impact quality of life.”

Dr. Bobsien is based on Vancouver Island and has worked with both the BCSPCA and Humane Canada on a variety of animal welfare issues. She is currently the chair of the CVMA Animal Welfare Committee, chair of The Equestrian Canada Health and Welfare Committee, and the veterinary ethics editor for the Canadian Veterinary Journal.

Join the crusade and raise the bar for geriatric horse care by learning to monitor for musculoskeletal abnormalities, gastrointestinal issues, dental problems, eyesight issues, heart trouble, respiratory concerns, osteoarthritis , PPID/Cushings and metabolic disorders, all of which can become more prevalent with age.

Take 5-minutes to take the FREE Senior Horse Challenge (http://www.thehorseportal.ca/SeniorHorseTool) and then sign up for the Sept 18 – 29, 2023 Senior Horse online course on TheHorsePortal.ca

Notes to Editor:
Equine Guelph is the horse owners’ and care givers’ Centre at the University of Guelph in Canada. It is a unique partnership dedicated to the health and well-being of horses, supported and overseen by equine industry groups. Equine Guelph is the epicentre for academia, industry and government – for the good of the equine industry as a whole. For further information, visit www.equineguelph.ca.

Story by: Jackie Bellamy-Zions, Equine Guelph

Photos: 2 senior horses in paddock (images available upon request)

Photo Credit: Henrietta Coole

Photo Caption: Equine Guelph offers a short online course and free healthcare tool for senior horse owners.

Web Link(s):

Story web link: https://thehorseportal.ca/2023/08/september-is-senior-horse-education-month-at-equine-guelph/