HISA Cardiac Safety Webinar for Owners and Trainers Set for Sept. 29

Maryland Thoroughbred owners and trainers are invited to participate in “Every Beat Counts: The Owner’s and Trainer’s Role in Cardiac Safety,” a HISA webinar on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 7 p.m. EDT. The one-hour session will cover recognizing potential cardiac concerns before exercise, responding to post-exercise distress and understanding the next steps in a diagnostic evaluation.

The webinar is the third installment of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s *Don’t Miss a Beat* series for owners and trainers. Presented in observance of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Awareness Month, the program will bring together academic and field experts whose work focuses on equine cardiac health and exercise-associated sudden death (EASD).

Dr. Karen Hassan, HISA’s Compliance and Research Veterinarian and chair of its EASD Working Group, will host the discussion.

The session will focus on three areas relevant to daily training and horse care:

- **Pre-exercise screening:** Recognizing red flags before a horse exercises.
- **Post-exercise recognition and response:** Emergency protocols for horses showing distress after exercise.
- **The diagnostic workup:** Understanding possible diagnostic options and when consultation with a cardiac specialist may be part of the next steps.

The panel will feature Dr. Mary Durando, co-owner of Equine Sports Medicine Consultants and a part-time specialist at Mid Atlantic Equine Medical Center and Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital; Dr. Sian Durward-Akhurst, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine; Dr. Katharyn Mitchell, assistant professor and section chief of large animal internal medicine at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine; and Dr. Cristobal Navas de Solis, associate professor of cardiology, ultrasound and internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.

**One hour of HISA continuing education credit is available to attendees.**

Owners and trainers interested in learning more about their role in equine cardiac safety can [register for the September 29 webinar through Zoom](https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1ylzdEizTru5tqq9jImkig).

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