Equine Guelph’s Horse Portal will be a hub of activity for teenagers this summer from July 23 to August 10 when the new Horse Behaviour & Safety online course is offered for the third time! Experiences will be shared in the online forum between like-minded horse-crazy youth while they are having fun learning about horse lingo and important tips to stay safe around horses.

For less than the cost of one riding lesson, students will spend three weeks learning new things they will find useful when thinking about why horses act the way they do. Over 95 percent of the past participants have said the course was enjoyable and informative and most say they will make changes regarding how they work around horses. Changes like being more aware of blind spots in horses, properly releasing a horse into a paddock, and improving barn fire prevention.

Horse lovers from across Canada and beyond are invited to come together while learning about:

• Horse Behaviour – Wild vs Stabled
• How Horses See and Hear
• Herd Behaviour – How Horses Interact with Each Other
• Horse Handling – Basic Safety Around Horses
• Rider/Helmet Safety
• Safe Trailering – Basics
• Fire Safety
• Safety around the Barn and Paddocks
• Returning from an Injury 

Students from previous offerings (many with future aspirations of becoming pros in the equine industry) agreed the course was very interesting and they learned a lot:

• I really enjoyed learning new things I never knew before about my horse! 
• I learned a lot about barn safety and the checklists were very helpful!  
• I learned new stuff about how horses see and perceive sound. It is very interesting to learn about why they act the way they do.
• It was really cool and informative, the instructor was amazing and so was the guest speaker.
• It was an eye-opener to new things I would have never thought of. And it helped me see that I did indeed have a concussion not that long ago.
• It was nice how there was a lot of information in this course but it was separated into smaller sections so it was easy to comprehend.
• I learned new things that I can now apply to my barn routine and check for in my horse.
• This online course meant a lot to me, I got to meet other equestrians from across Canada, got to ask questions and it's awesome to be able to learn about what you love!
• My favorite was the group discussions and hearing about other people’s experiences and knowledge which helped me gain more of an understanding of horse behavior and safety.

Equine Guelph is pleased to offer Horse Behaviour and Safety specifically for youth aged 14 to 17. “The positive feedback from our first two offerings has been wonderful,” says Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph. “Horse health, welfare and safety right from the start is what we are all about and we are so happy to introduce this online course for the future ambassadors of our equine industry.”

Join the herd at The Horse Portal for totally cool summer school online for horse lovers.

Photo: Canstock/Kotomiti