The graduate diploma in equine locomotor research (Grad Dip ELR) run by the United Kingdom’s Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is this year expanding to the United States to offer U.S.-based professional farriers the chance to gain the necessary skill set to produce original research, increase the evidence base behind farriery, and enhance equine welfare.

The Grad Dip ELR is a UK Higher Education Level 6 course, which can be taken over a minimum of two and a maximum of five years. The RVC launched the course in the U.K. last year.

The course is divided into two sections: contemporary study skills and applied equine locomotion. The course will be delivered using a variety of methods including webinars, podcasts, and face-to-face learning sessions on weekends to facilitate the participation of the busy practitioner.

The U.S.-based 2018 course will be tailored to the U.S.-based farrier, with the residential weekends being held at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center, in Kennett Square