The University of Guelph Kemptville Campus and Equine Guelph are jointly developing an exciting new training program for Horse Grooms. This unique program is in a Blended Formatwith an on-line, in-school theory, and an applied practical component. The Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities (MTCU) funds student tuition fees for Pre-Apprenticeship Programs as an incentive to encourage particpants into apprenticeship trades.

Apprentices will be able to work competently as horse grooms within the racing disciplines, at breeding farms, horse show facilities, riding schools, and training centres. They will have knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), WHIMIS, First Aid (both humans and horses), National Research Council recommendations for horse nutrition, and industry rules and regulations.

Upon successful completion of the program, the Horse Groom Apprentice will be knowledgeable in the many facets of the Canadian horse industry:

• Applied farm safety
• Horse structure and function
• Horse classification
• horse handling and behaviour
• the proper application of horse equipment – tacking and un-tacking techniques
• facility maintenance
• horse nutrition and pasturing
• grooming procedures/techniques
• horse transportation
• horse health
• ethics and animal welfare

This program is 22 weeks in duration, including an eight week work placement in the industry. The 40 hour on-line component will be accessible during the month of April, and the in-school theory and practical training runs from May 6 – August 16.  Graduates would begin an 8 week work placement on August 19^th, and complete on October 11.

For this program to be a success, you can demonstrate your support in the any of the following ways:

___ We support the proposed program would like to receive more information

___ We will provide an 8 week placement for a graduate of the program

___ We will be able to provide full-time employment for a graduate, after the placement

___ We would like to participate by guest lecturing or having students visit us on a field trip

Business name: ___________________________________________________________

Contact name and position: __________________________________________________

Address and phone number: _________________________________________________

Representing Trade/s: ______________________________________________________

Thank-you for supporting this proposal,

University of Guelph, Kemptville Campus

For further information please contact:

Gayle Ecker, Hon. B.A., B.Ed., M.Sc.
Director, Equine Guelph
50 McGilvray Street
Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1
gecker@uoguelph.ca
ph: 519-824-4120, # 56678
Fax: 519-767-1081

or

Patricia Remillard B.Sc., M.B.A.
Manager of Cost Recovery Programs
University of Guelph Kemptville Campus
P.O. Box 2003
830 Prescott St.
Kemptville, ON, Canada K0G 1J0
Phone: 613-258-8336 ext. 61418
Fax: 613-258-8430