Horse Breeding and Selection Series

Course Contact: Dr. Christine Skelly

The Horse Breeding and Selection Series course is based on the knowledge of equine experts at Michigan State University and nationally recognized equine professionals. For questions regarding this course, please contact Dr. Christine Skelly at skellych@msu.edu.

Series Overview

This series includes the four short courses listed below. Each short course is coupled with a recorded 1 hour webcast by our equine experts.

Breeding for a Champion: This course covers some of the important factors a potential horse owner should consider before investing in a horse including finding the right horse, criteria for selecting the right horse, and criteria for breeding your next performance horse.
Your Next Competition Horse: This course includes specific criteria a horse owner should consider when breeding a horse. The course begins with a detailed explanation of several methods for selecting a stallion and mare in addition to an explanation of genetics and the possibility of genetic disorders. The key factors for horse selection, including conformation, disposition, and performance, are discussed as are the breeding costs and farm management expenses involved in horse breeding.
Preparing and Breeding Your Mare: This course will cover some of the important factors a breeder should know about mare reproduction. The course begins with basic information about the mare's reproductive anatomy. The course then explores the mare's reproductive cycle, appropriate times to breed, and the breeding process. The broodmare's nutritional requirements are also detailed.
Post-Natal Care: This course will cover some of the important factors to consider when raising a foal. The course begins with an overview of critical knowledge a breeder needs to know regarding the first 48 hours of a foal's life including the stages of delivery, respiratory conditions, nursing, and what to evaluate in a physical exam. Information on routine health care, foal health problems, foal behaviors, as well as the nutritional requirements of a growing horse is also detailed.

Each short course takes approximately 1 to 2 hours to complete and consists of an overview, informative topics, optional activities, online badges, and a downloadable certificate of completion.

Course Format

Self-paced

REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS

Follow the instructions below to register for this course. If you would like to watch a video tutorial, demonstrating an overview of the registration process, click on the following link: Online Course Registration Video Tutorial.

Create your MSU Guest Account and Password: Create Your Account.
Login to the registration system with your Guest Account (your email) and Password: Breeding and Selection Series Online Course
Follow the instructions to register for the course. Upon registration, you will receive a receipt and instructions for accessing the course.

*Please note – if you registered for a My Horse University course in the past you may already have an account. If you need to update your password go to: Change my password.

For additional information on logging into our courses and an FAQ go to: Frequently Asked Questions

Technical Assistance

If you have any technical problems, please contact the Michigan State University IT Service Desk from 7am-12am Monday through Friday and 10am-12am on Saturday/Sunday, any day that the University is open.

Phone: (517) 432-6200
Phone (toll free): 1 (844) 678-6200
Chat
Email Web Form

Frequently Asked Questions

What is my username/NETID?
Your username (or NET ID) is the email address you used to create your account during registration (you use the same email address/password for registering and for taking the course).

What URL do I go to for logging into the course?
Go to: https://d2l.msu.edu/. You will see the Michigan State University at the top of the page. Login with the email address and password you set during the registration process.

I received a “not authenticated” response when trying to login – what do I do?
A “not authenticated” message is typically an issue with a password not being entered correctly.

I forgot my password – where can I reset it?
If you need to reset your password at any time go to https://auth.msu.edu/ and select the option for "Need help Signing in."