So a friend has been recently given the opportunity to demonstrate her photography skills at her job in a racing stable.   An open day was recently held for owners of some horses in training and she was able to display a lot of photos taken.

One was of a ‘lawn jockey’ – a statue of a jockey with that particular racing stable’s racing colours painted on.

Thinking this would be a cool addition to any horse property, I asked where it came from.  That same friend provided a link to Jockey Lawn Statues at Royal Bloodstock.  If I were racing horses, I’d totally want one of these little guys on display in my racing colours!

I guess I’ve been thinking a bit of late about horse related items I’d love to have on display on a horsey property/at a horse business.  There should be a store out there where you can source such items!  Consider it:

• Jockey lawn statues
• Wooden rocking horses
• Driftwood horses
• Seats made out of horse shoes
• A sustainable rocking horse in the office

The list goes on!  What horse themed item would you like to put on display on your dream property?

“A racehorse is an animal that can take several thousand people for a ride at the same time.”

So I’m excited!  I’ve finally set up a page for EQUUS on Facebook which can be found at http://www.facebook.com/EquusEducation.  I’ve been thinking about this for awhile but am surprised I haven’t done so earlier!

The general idea of having a Facebook presence is so that each time I post to this blog, it posts also on Facebook and people can share the page with their friends!  Why do this?

I want to make it as easy as possible for people to know about a blog that focuses on equine related education, vocations and travel.  So feel free to ‘like’ EQUUS online and share the page with your friends if they’re interested in a career with horses – I’d really appreciate it!

And if they’re really keen on horse related career possibilities, point them towards Vocation 100!

“It excites me that no matter how much machinery replaces the horse, the work it can do is still measured in horsepower…..even in this space age. And although a riding horse often weighs half a ton, and a big drafter a full ton, either can be led about by a piece of string if he has been wisely trained. This to me is a constant source of wonder, and challenge.” – Marguerite Henry

So at the moment I’m writing up horse work/experience that I’ve acquired over the past five or so years so that I can gain credit in a subject for uni.

Personally, I am addicted to doing work experience and would usually jump at the chance to gain more.  However, I have a financial commitment in a mortgage, and I’ve only just started back at work after my accident a few months ago, so the idea of gaining horse experience on a work experience wage is the main thing that is causing me to decide against doing so.

I’m excited to know that for my equine science degree, I need to gain experience over at least 8 weeks, in at least 3 different equine fields:

• breeding
• performance
• equine business
• industry training / education
• other approved experience

Writing this report was a good reminder of how blessed I’ve been with horses and in the industry.  To boast a little, I’ve gained experience in all of these sectors!  And it’s so lovely to be able to look at photos and remember contacts acquired, as well as skills developed.

Our practical experience is aimed at helping us to first determine personal learning objectives.  These should help us to develop towards our desired outcome with horses.  For me, this is running an agistment property with my husband, and advising enthusiastic horse people on the myriad of horse related careers available to them around the world.

Now that I’ve written the reports of what I wanted to achieve, what I did achieve and how I could improve, I have to send off forms to my previous employers to get them to sign and agree that I have done what I claim to have done!

This is a good thing, but will require a bit of work on my behalf to get forms off to South Africa for Wild Coast Horse Trails and to Ireland for the Irish National Stud.

I wrote a post in September titled Is Your Role What You Want it to Be?  All of the ‘roles’ I’ve had in the horse industry have indeed been what was necessary for me to develop as a horse person and become a more informed horse owner.  It’s also helping me get from A to B, that is – towards my desired goal of running a horse property.

I saw a picture – I think in a PowerPoint from uni – about how people envisage getting from A to B.  They see it as two dot points or locations, and a straight line between the two.  I loved the picture of what it actually is – a mess of a squiggly line that consistently overlaps between the two!

As a majorly impatient person, I prefer the ‘direct’ route of a straight line between the two points.  But it’s my haphazard horse roles, some organised, some by chance, some unexpectedly discovered and taken on, that has truly helped me to be someone who is still passionately excited about running a horse property, and feeling closer to this goal each day.

What is your dream?  What are your personal learning objectives?  Write them down!

“If I had a horse, I’d ride off in the sunset, where dreams, and shadows lie. To a life, where pain and sorrow don’t exist, and to where hopes, and dreams become reality.” – Lindsay Turcotte