This class is the Self-Paced version (no live meetings!) of one of our most popular courses! 


This course is an introduction to equine / horse veterinary care. This course will provide a basic understanding of some of the ways that an equine veterinarian cares for horses, both to keep them healthy, and also to help them if they are sick or injured. 

This course does not provide veterinary advice or diagnostics. If you have questions about your horse, please consult your veterinarian. 

Topics: 
Lesson 1. What is it like to be an equine veterinary professional? What is the difference between a veterinarian, a veterinary technician/nurse, and a veterinary assistant? Are there equine veterinary specialties? 
Optional assignment: find out about one of these careers and share a few things about why you think you would love that career! (Share in the online classroom under the week 1 videos) 

Lesson 2. In this lesson we will cover what  a vet looks for during a physical exam/check up, getting a patient history from the owner, vital signs, body condition score, body systems checked. 
Optional assignment -body condition score poster : find 5 pictures of horses and give them a body condition score as well as describe why you chose that score. Take a picture of the poster, or share your slide(s) and share it in the online classroom. 

Lesson 3. Vaccinations  - This lesson is an overview of what vaccinations are and how they help to keep horses healthy. Students will learn about some vaccines that may be given and how the vet and owner decide what is best for each horse.
Optional assignment: call or email a local equine veterinary practice and ask what equine vaccines are commonly recommended in your area. Make sure to tell them you are doing research for a class! :-) Share what you learned in the online classroom. 

Lesson 4 Parasites and deworming: This lesson will explore some of the internal parasites (worms) that may affect a horse. Yes… it’s a bit gross to talk about, but it is a common thing, and important to know about! We will also find out about tests that the vet will do to find out what kind of parasites a horse may have so they can choose the best deworming medication. 
Optional Assignment: yup… you guessed it… research a specific internal parasite and share a few interesting facts about them. Post your facts in the online classroom. You may just type them in, or create a slide or poster with the info. 

Lesson 5: Equine Emergencies- This lesson will discuss some common equine emergency situations that a veterinarian may need to handle. We will look at some of the most common emergencies and discuss what it is like to have a patient in that situation. (This topic may be difficult for some learners since we will be talking about injury and illness. Photos of a wound or sick horse will be shown) 
Optional Assignment: Ask an adult who cares for horses, if you know any, about an emergency that one of their horses has had in the past, and how the vet helped that horse. Share a quick video of you telling about what the vet did to help or post a few sentences in the classroom about the vet’s treatment of that emergency. If you don’t know anyone with a horse, research an emergency and how a vet might handle 
that emergency. 

Lesson 6:  Equine Diagnostic Tests- This lesson will be an overview of some of the tests a vet may do to help determine what is wrong with a sick or injured horse. We will discuss some options such as blood tests, X-Rays, ultrasound, MRI and more. This will be a brief overview. 
 
****Additional carefully selected YouTube video links will be safely embedded in the classroom as well for additional learning on the topic each week. They are not required but are encouraged. 

*** After this Introductory course learners may choose to continue these topics in Advanced Equine Veterinary Science courses where we will continue to explore additional topics deeper, such as radiology (X-Ray), and begin to learn about how a vet may do surgery, dentistry and more. 

*** IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER - These courses are an overview of an equine veterinarian’s job. The teacher will not be providing any medical advice. If you have a specific question about your own animal, please contact your veterinarian.