Blog : Equus Education

Parlez-vous francais?

March 29, 2009 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

If you answered yes to that question and are looking to study horses, specifically in the racing industry, then perhaps AFASEC may be for you.

While working at one of the riding school’s last year, I was chatting with the mother of one of our clients – a girl in her mid teens – who happened to be fluent in English and French on account of her dad living in France and mother in Australia.

Mad keen about horses, she was eyeing off a course at this horse related school in France. Ever curious about different education facilities, I asked for the site of the school and took a look. My French is very limited and I’m sure that if it weren’t, I’d be applying to study at such a place! (A prerequisite is a thorough understanding of the French language).

AFASEC provides education and training in areas relating to driving/stable hand work, becoming a jockey on the flat or over jumps, head lad and assistant trainer. They help you to establish a professional career within the industry and based on the photos on the site, seem to have wonderful facilities!

A couple of trotter stallions in France.

Students as young as 14 years of age are taken into their 5 establishments in France that provide intensive daily practical work as well as theoretical.

The school works in close cooperation with flat and harness trainers, giving the students permanent contact with professionals in the industry.

Perhaps a trip to Europe to study is suddenly looking appealing? For those of you in school mad about horses, don’t underestimate the value of learning another language and then gaining experience with horses in another country.

“Once a horse is born, someone will be found to ride it.” – Hebrew Proverb

Tags: equine education, france, study, horse course, travel, horseriding

The Snow Pony

March 21, 2009 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

A week or so ago at work I was keeping an 8 year old girl – a relation to my boss – entertained by leading her around on our little Shetland pony, Banjo.

As we were walking up and down the drive, we were discussing one of my many loves – horse books. Although only 8 years of age, this young girl was very bright and reading above her level. She also had the audacity to claim she had more horse books than me! I may just have to check out her library.

Alison Lester came up in conversation and I found this amusing as at the time I was contemplating reading The Snow Pony as my next horse book to devour.

The Snow Pony by Alison Lester. I thought the book would be written for young readers due to this young girl enjoying another of Lester’s books. I was proven wrong.

The Snow Pony does indeed detail the love a young girl (14 or so) has for a brumby that her father catches for her while out droving but it also describes greatly the troubles encountered by a family in a time of drought that rely on cattle for their living.

The young girl ‘Dusty’ has to grow up quickly and in a time when she’s competing and winning at show jumping events, rather than focusing on the excitement of the win, the fact that she’s earned money that will keep them eating becomes more of a focus.

The Snow Pony flows over a few years, showing the desperation in the family as the drought continues.

Alison Lester does a great job of describing the work involved in running a farm, ‘breaking in’ the pony and the high plains area where the cattle are mustered. It is on one of these musters that Dusty is truly put to the test and the family that is falling apart has to reconsider what’s really important in such a tough financial time.

I really enjoyed the book – it’s a very realistic story of drought times in the Australian bush – something that rings all too true for the current season in Victoria.

Author: Alison Lester
http://www.alisonlester.net/biography.html
Fiction – very factual though
In my library? Definitely. An enlightening and entertaining read that would appeal to early teens or older.

“A pony is a childhood dream, A horse is an adulthood treasure.” – Rebecca Carroll

Tag: horse story, equine book review, Alison Lester, horse library, horse writing

Brick Books: Horses

March 13, 2009 by Christine Meunier 3 Comments

I was in town today at lunchtime and couldn’t help but notice a table full of $5 books – surely there had to be something horsey in it!

I didn’t actually find any books for myself – there was one horse book which I already have – but I purchased it anyway, for a mate who is also horse obsessed. It’s a lovely ‘brick book’ and is indeed well named based on it’s size!

Titled simply ‘Horses’ it is made up of over 500 pages and is interchanged with gorgeous pictures of horses and awesome quotes and facts with regards to horses.

Brick Books: Horses Did you know there are about 75 million horses alive in the world today?

For the horse lover, this is a great book that’ll keep them occupied with all the quotes, facts and pictures.

Indeed, many of the quotes featured on this site are listed in this brick book and the pictures elicit dreams relating to paddocks full of galloping horses, gorgeous ponies, loyal mounts, competition horses and so much more.

Editor: Kristin Maffei
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/kristin/maffei
Non Fiction
In my library? You bet! Not sure you can beat great quotes and awesome pictures that all relate to horses.

“Many a shabby foal makes a fine horse” – Irish Proverb

Tag: horse story, equine book review, equine author, horse library, horse writing

Melbourne Premier Yearling Sales 2009

March 7, 2009 by Christine Meunier 2 Comments

Just some pics to share with you!

Taking a look at Barn G of the William Inglis complex at Oaklands Junction, Victoria, Australia.

The sales ran from March 1-4 but we had to be down there the Wednesday before the the Sunday sale day to parade our draft of 23 horses to potential buyers.

If you’re considering working in the Thoroughbred industry and particularly with yearlings, take into account that sale days can start at five or half past and last until half five or half six that afternoon.

9 days straight of 12 hour or more days takes its toll!

Our 16.2hh yearling colt by Magic Albert, out of Show Classic.

One of the cheap buys! He was part of the second session of the sales and sold for $16,000.

Generally we paraded the horses based on the height of the staff but I took him out a couple of times – and made him look like an absolute giant!

Parading for clients involves standing them up so they can look at the horse’s conformation and then taking them for a walk before standing up again. Some weren’t so keen on cooperating though!

“Rapid”, a colt by Elusive Quality out of Ride the Rapids. This was one of my favourite boys on the farm while they went through their eight week preparation.

Boy could he rear! Never nasty, but very cheeky. He sold for $30,000 and was our first lot to go through the sale.

Before that however, I had a few problems parading him – he loved to push me off the ashphalt where we were supposed to be walking and balked on one side of the stable complex at a man putting up a ladder.

The result? The pair of us nearly colliding with another horse, it’s handler and two clients looking at the horse.

Being the smallest colt on the draft, he sure gave me the most trouble!

“Horse Terminology… Reluctant = Sale Comes with Title Deeds to Sydney Harbor Bridge.”

Tag: Melbourne Premier Sales, William Inglis, yearling preparation, horse sales

* Pics thanks to my wonderful mother!

‘Batching’ It

March 5, 2009 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

I’ve been at the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sales for the past 9 days with work; reminding myself once again that I am not a big fan of yearlings and the long sale days involved!

One of the young women helping out at the sales is partaking in a horse course through TAFE and had to do a certain amount of hours for her placement and an assignment to match. Being a sale, a lot of advertising material is often available for those with regards to stallions and service fees, agistment, foaling services and whatever else studs offer to clients.

There are quite a lot of equine education facilities that also encourage excursions for students to attend the sales and learn more about the industry. Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE in Epping prepare their own yearlings for the sale with their students gaining industry experience this way.

The student with us gathered a lot of advertising materials and came back with some information regarding NMIT’s campus and courses on offer. I couldn’t help myself and had to have a look and discovered the Bachelor of Equine Studies – http://www.nmit.vic.edu.au/courses/bachelor_of_equine_studies.

I hadn’t realised that a TAFE facility offered a bachelor, nevermind one with horses! Someone else at work has done a Bachelor of Equine Science through Charles Sturt University – http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/undergraduate/equine_studies_science/ – and is now doing her Masters.

I’ve only completed up to Diploma level but love the theory based work and the science/vet side of things so am suddenly entertaining the idea of carrying out a Bachelor study, part time. The course full time is 3 years and through NMIT, you’re looking at about $12,000 a year.

I did balk at that fee but have since been chatting with friends who studied at Uni and have made use of HECS and believe this may be the way to go to carry out such a course and be able to afford it.

It’s wonderful to know that the study of horses is now such that you can gain a qualification at a Bachelor level and go on to do your Masters as well as gain practical experience and business skills to help with managing a horse property or setting up your own. I love that I’m working with horses in such a time as this.

“What the colt learns in youth he continues in old age.” – French Proverb

Tag: equine studies, equine science, masters, bachelor study

Parlez-vous francais?

The Snow Pony

Brick Books: Horses

‘Batching’ It

Equus Education Store at TeachersPayTeachers

About Equus Education

Want to be kept in the loop about future posts?

Privacy Policy for EE