Hello everyone and welcome to this special course on Equine Welfare. I'm Dr. Claudia Sonder, a Veterinarian at the Center for Equine Health at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. I'd like to thank you for joining us on this journey, and I look forward to sharing my passion and the passion of other veterinarians for the welfare of the horses in our care. Here at UC Davis, we have one of the most extensive teaching, research, and clinical missions of any veterinary school in the world. And as the number one ranked veterinarian school in the world, we address the health of all animals including livestock, poultry, companion animals, captive and free ranging wild life, exotic animals, birds, aquatic mammals and fish, and animals used in biological and medical research. In my work as an equine veterinarian, both in private practice and as part of the amazing team here at UC Davis, I've seen first hand how simple, preventable problems can escalate into life threatening illnesses. And how education and awareness are the first step towards alleviating unnecessary suffering, cost, and loss. This course is designed for the new horse owner, anyone thinking of becoming an owner, those of you already working in the horse industry who want to increase your knowledge. Or anyone else involved with horses who wants to ensure that the care they provide meets and exceeds the basic welfare needs of the horse. We've built this course around a set of principles called the five freedoms, which we'll discuss more in depth in a moment. And in the next few weeks you'll gain the knowledge you need to be able to recognize the parameters of the normal healthy horse as a baseline for ensuring the horse enjoys those five freedoms. We'll explore anatomy and physiology, nutrition and hydration, locomotion, and the all important hoof. We'll also show you how to perform some simple assessments of vital signs and hydration. Later in the course, we'll discuss basic standards of care, common diseases and injuries and how to prevent them, and normal and abnormal equine behavior. Finally, we'll examine the unique human equine bond, and the many ways we partner with horses for sport, work, and companionship. We'll talk about some of the issues confronting the industry today, including unwanted horses and international welfare concerns. We've got much to discuss, so let's get started. [MUSIC]