Equus Education

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Property Identification Codes for Horse Owners

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I recently received an email at working regarding something that has been put in place by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) in July, 2010 – “As of July 1st, 2010, Victorian property owners who have horses residing on their land must obtain a Property Identification Code (PIC).“

You can read more about the PIC on the DPI Victorian website.

Having not been aware of this before, I think this is a great initiative that will help control biosecurity issues with regards to horses.  How?  Well if properties have a PIC, this will help to identify in the case of a disease outbreak, properties that could be affected.  It states on the DPI site, “it is critical to identify properties in the surrounding area with horses.”

The best bit is that a PIC is free and applying for one doesn’t appear to require providing too much information about the associated property.  This will definitely be something I’ll have to look into when hubby and I acquire land for agistment.  So Victorian property owners who have horses, do you have a PIC??

“You Know You’re A Horse Person When… you consider a golf course as a waste of good pasture land.”

Pedigree Anaylsis ‘Nicks’

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Find out How to Read a Horse’s Pedigree in a Sale Catalogue at Suite101

Ok, here’s one for the pedigree fans out there!

What’s a pedigree?  It’s the paper/tabulated version of your horse’s breeding.  That is, who mum and dad are, and their parents, and so on!

Yes, it is possible to turn your interest in horse genealogy into a career!  Often this is done as a bloodstock agent or perhaps in the form of a Stallions Nomination staff member at a particular stud.

Many people that are interested in breeding horses (particularly racehorses) are keen to know what their future foal will look like on paper.

Consequently, they analyse stallion pedigrees to see which one or ones would best suit their broodmare. There are many online pedigree analysts who offer such services, at times for free!  Consider the likes of ‘eNicks’ at Werk Thoroughbred Consultants Inc.

Of course, checking out the stud books of your favourite breed in your country is worth looking into, also.  For those who are interested in horse pedigrees and pursuing potential work along this line, start your research now:

  • Learn about the top stallions and mares in the breed/s of your choice
  • Which stallions are producing foals that perform well?
  • Which stallions had a brilliant performance career?
  • Which is the most expensive stallion standing at stud?
  • Does the stallion shuttle overseas or is frozen semen offered for artificial insemination?

It’s never to early to learn more about your future profession and there is a lot of information online that can help you at only the cost of your time.

“Breed the best to the best and hope for the best.” – Breeder’s axiom

Biosecurity and Horses

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Biosecurity is of concern when considering a career with horses. What is biosecurity? The Macmillan dictionary defines it as, ‘the methods used to prevent an infection from spreading outside an area, used, for example, in cases of foot-and-mouth disease and avian flu.’

In Australia issues have arisen in the past with Equine Influenza getting into our country and greatly affecting the Thoroughbred breeding industry. More recently, the Hendra Virus has been in the news and biosecurity measures have been taken to try to prevent the spread of this zoonotic virus.

Biosecurity is Important When Keeping Stock

Quite recently the exciting news of a vaccine being established was released and currently a survey is being conducted by the University of Western Sydney (Mel Taylor) and the University of Sydney in conjunction with Biosecurity Queensland and Biosecurity NSW.

Perhaps you’d like to take part in the survey ‘HHALTER‘.

For those who are interested in the idea of protecting our beloved horses and those who care for them, it may be worth pursuing a position with the likes of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).

These are the authorities that we have to notify if a case of strangles is found on our farm, as it has the potential to spread quickly and affect other properties, especially if horse movement on and off farms is common (such as going to a show, or mares being taken to a stud for breeding).

Of course, as a horse owner and carer you can do your part to help with regards to biosecurity:

“My horse is security conscious… he always likes to bolt the stable door when I leave.”

Free Equine Law Webinar

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Horse Property Owners Should be Informed

So I’ve been catching up on some horse blog reading and found a free Webinar link that I think is worth sharing.

Now I don’t know a lot about Webinars, but thought one based on a horse topic of interested to me would be a great way to learn 🙂

The Webinar focuses on Equine Law and potential concerns for horse property owners. It is titled Top Three Things That Cause Equine Litigation & How to Avoid Them.

This one is being hosted by Kelly Hart and is being held on December 6th. Any horse information that you can acquire – especially if it’s free – is worth investing in!

You can sign up for the Webinar at Alison Rowe’s Equine Law blog. I already have!

“The horse! The horse! The symbol of surging potency and power of movement, of action, in man.” – D. H. Lawrence

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Considering Your Career for 2013

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National Centre for Equine Education Logo

It’s that time of year where students are putting in applications for TAFEs and Universities.  And let’s face it, there are a lot of mature age people out there also considering potential study for the next year.  Are you?

For those of you that will be in the Melbourne, Victoria vicinity for Equitana (Thursday the 15th of November – Sunday the 18th of November), I encourage you to check out education and course options on display here! It’s a great chance to check out what qualifications and short courses are on offer to horse enthusiasts 🙂

I was hoping to be at Equitana this year with the other National Centre for Equine Education staff to talk with potential students about what courses we have on offer.  Unfortunately my head injury wouldn’t be so pleased with such activity and so much talking!

However, I encourage you to pop on over and check out our stall!  We will be in the John Deere Pavilion at stand number 135.  You can find us on the exhibitor’s list.

Why should you check out the National Centre for Equine Education stand?  Courses are offered from Certificate II – Diploma level. We offer courses in:

  • Racing (stablehand, track rider, racehorses trainer)
  • Agriculture (horse breeding)
  • Performance
  • Equine Industry
  • Stud Management

Come and have a chat with the staff and see what previous students have achieved through these courses!

“All I need to know in life I learned from my horse: You’ve got horse sense. Use it!”

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About Equus Education

You will find equine careers profiled on this blog and people interviewed who are making a career in the horse industry.  Equus Education aims to show others that horses can indeed be a sustainable career.

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