NTRA, University of Kentucky to offer online course on 'Turfgrass as an Equine Sports Surface'

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has partnered with the University of Kentucky and the Racing Surface Testing Laboratory to launch a three-day online curriculum focusing on the cultivation and maintenance of turf courses, the partners announced on Friday.

Called “Turfgrass as an Equine Sports Surface,” the curriculum was developed by Dr. Mick Peterson, who is the director of the Racetrack Safety Program at UK and the executive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, a non-profit organization founded by Peterson that conducts testing of racing surfaces. The online courses, which will be broadcast for three consecutive Mondays in June and be archived, will be free to watch, but a $50 fee will be required for a test.

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The launch underlines a new effort in the racing industry to apply scientific principles to practices that have long relied on tradition and experience, such as racetrack maintenance and horsemanship. Over the past five years, UK has begun devoting more resources to the academic study of one of Kentucky’s signature industries, including hiring Peterson to locate his laboratory at the Lexington university.

“This is exactly the type of collaboration we envisioned when the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory joined forces with the University of Kentucky [Agricultural] Equine Programs,” said Alex Waldrop, the president of the NTRA, in a statement. “The benefits of this interaction are undeniable as we seek to further protect the welfare of the horse and develop the industry’s workforce.”

The course is designed for “those already engaged in careers with turf surface maintenance,” the partners said, and those who pass the test will be given a Racecourse Manager Certification from UK. In addition, racetracks that enroll personnel in the course will be given points toward accreditation through the NTRA’s Safety and Integrity Alliance.

The courses will feature experts on turf selection and maintenance; equine biomechanics; and racetrack surface maintenance, according to a list of speakers distributed by the partners.