Groom Elite™ 101
Groom Elite™ 101 Course
A 40hr certification course for horse care workers with some experience at the racetrack who desire to have a deeper more comprehensive knowledge of the horse and their jobs.
Horse Behavior and the Basics of Grooming
- Equine instincts and ability to cope with racetrack stresses
- Equine learning and 5 senses
- Characteristics of an Elite Groom
- Safest practices for daily horse care and tips for streamlining
- Mouth inspection or tongue tying
- Safe and appropriate use of restraint methods
- Identification of body parts, including technical terms for bones of lower legs
- Identification of conformation problems and understanding the associated risks of lameness related to these problems
- Monitoring for signs of soreness as a result of conformation deviations
- Methods of determining a horse's height
- Methods of determining a horse's weight
- Body Condition Score method of evaluating body weight changes
- Teeth and parts of the skull
- Identification of symptoms of mouth problems and possible solutions
- How to conduct an visual exam of a horse's mouth
- Detailed overview of the digestive system and how it effects the horse's feed program
- Situations a horse will refuse feed, hay, water
- Need for additional salt for horses in hot humid weather
- Feeding guidelines can prevent or minimize gut problems
- Reasons why horses need hay
- Identification of legume and grass hay
- Criteria used in evaluating hay
- Evaluation of hay quality
- Taking a horse's body temperature, pulse and respiration rate and knowing what these numbers indicate
- Evaluation of hydration levels and capillary refill time and what the results of the evaluation indicate
- Evaluation of a horse for gut sounds
- Evaluation of the risk of heat stress in an exercised horse based upon heat indexes
- Identification of important bones and joints in the horse's front leg
- Recognize conformation deviations of the legs and the risks of injury associated with them
- Recognizing bucked shins, splint inflammation and other common leg issues and their causes
- Recognizing both obvious and subtle signs of a tendon injury that could lead to a bowed tendon
- Factors causing a horse to bow a tendon or develop front leg problems
- Understand systematic approach to examining legs
- Understand ways to handle legs to identify possible problems
- Name and recognize these standard bandages: polo, rundown, splint support, standing bandage, poultice, figure "8".
- Demonstrate how to put on the following bandages: standing, polo wrap, figure "8" 3M™ Vetrap™ Bandaging Tape racing bandage.
- Parts of a horse's hoof
- Bones within a horse's hoof
- Hoof problems: Abscess, White Line Disease, Quarter Cracks, Thrush
- Laminitis or founder symptoms and what could lead to it in a runner
- Daily and monthly routine for hoof care
- How to properly saddle a horse for morning exercise
- Show how to properly put a bridle (snaffle or ring bit) and its extra pieces
- How to put a yoke on a horse
- How to tie a horse's tongue
- How to properly respond to a fire or medical/veterinary emergency
- Identification of fire hazard in the barn
- Basics of personal chemical safety and first aid
- Duties of the State Veterinarian
- Groom's responsibility regarding pre-race examination procedures
- Race day routine and responsibility
- Groom's responsibility regarding post-race testing procedures
- Importance of knowing what medication can be administered immediately prior to race day and prevention of accidental positives