The deadline for Registration for the Olds College Racetrack Programs is approaching
Get the skills you need to be a Professional Groom or Exercise Rider – Employment Guaranteed!
The Olds College Racetrack Programs have a tradition of excellence in horse racing in Alberta. Graduates from the Olds College Racetrack Programs are skilled and confident and can be found grooming, riding, driving and training in the sport of racing in Canada and the United States and Internationally.
The Olds College Racetrack Programs have two course streams: Professional Racetrack Groom and Professional Exercise Rider. Students in both courses learn the fundamentals of horse management and the racing industry.
Both courses provide a solid horsemanship foundation for students. Core modules include:
- Horse care and management
- Barn safety and cleanliness
- Regular horse health and emergency care
- Anatomy and Conformation
- Exercise physiology
- Nutrition
- Lameness, Stable and Exercise bandages
- Personal bookkeeping and financial management
Students have classroom sessions as well as hands-on learning with horses at the Olds College and at Century Mile Racetrack. Students work with retired and active racehorses and the hands-on experience sets them up for success when they move to the racetrack and begin working in racing stables.
Groom and Exercise Rider students are required to complete a practicum at a racetrack, training facility or breeding farm. They are then placed into work experience stables and are paid employees while they complete their mandatory courses and training hours.