It all begins here… So the earliest I discovered that I could actually start ‘studying’ horses at school, was in year ten (third last year of highschool in Australia, was 16 at the time) through the joys of work experience.
Only for a period of two weeks, looking back now it seems hardly enough time but I am glad over the course of my last three years of high school, I was able to complete three lots of work experience – at a small racing stable/stud, riding school and a stable at Caulfield Racecourse.
Rather than dissuade me from the not so kind hours and manual labour, this only fuelled the want to get the rest of school out of the way and work with horses.
Fortunately, in between the school I attended had just recently offered the chance to study horses (Certificate II in Horse Studies) as part of your VCE subjects and so over my second last year of school, I was able to actually do one of my chosen subjects as horses, at the end of it having a Certificate II and a little more of an idea of the direction I wanted to head after highschool.
I completed this course at Balmoral Warmblood Stud, attending the stud every Wednesday to work, ride and learn about horses. It is possible to also do the course via correspondence so it doesn’t cut in on classes at school.
“The horse through all its trials has preserved the sweetness of paradise in its blood.” – Johannes Jensen
Take a look at:
http://www.balmoral.info/ – check out the ‘education’ area.
http://www.bhtafe.edu.au/Courses/AST20.htm
http://www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au/courses/tafe/c2-equine.html
tag: certificate II
