So you may argue that stallion handling isn’t a particular job.  Perhaps that’s the case but despite being a rather narrow job description, there are definitely people in the Thoroughbred industry (and I’m sure other horse areas) that are known for that particular role.

Don’t get me wrong, they do so much more than solely handling a stallion or stallions but there are specific people for specific stallions when it comes to breeding on Thoroughbred studs.

A largely male dominated field, I’ve worked with one very capable female stallion handler and know of a couple of others.

Consequently, I was surprised and interested to see a stallion management course on offer at the National Centre for Equine Education, Victoria, Australia.

“This program is designed to enhance the knowledge, skills and professionalism of stallion managers, and to develop the skills of stallion handlers for career pathway promotion opportunities. Participants will be required to study under the guidance of Stallion Manager Mentors.”

What a great idea!  Especially for the minority females eager to get into this area of the Thoroughbred industry – or any other breed for that matter.  Put together specifically to further the knowledge and training of people involved with the breeding of racehorses, perhaps it’ll become something that many use to get their foot in the door.

Expressions of interest are being invited by the NCEE for this part time one year course that focuses on management of the stallion.

“You can tell a gelding, you can ask a mare, but you must discuss it with a stallion.”

tag: horse course, part time course, equine education, stallion handling, stallion management

So a lot of people in business are familiar with life coaches these days.  They seem to have created themselves a little niche.  Well, to take things further, you can specifically get a horse related life coach!

Because riding can be a full time career in today’s society, it’s not so surprising that others have made a career out of coaching riders.

Chances are that they don’t just coach those wanting to become professionals either.  Even learning to have fun on your horse while being safe can be goals to work towards that can be progressed with the aid of a coach.

Whether one is looking into coaching – and the sort that is specifically related to the equestrian – or looking to acquire a horse related life coach, there are a couple of qualities that should stand out.

The equestrian life coach should:

• have experience with horses
• be familiar with the stresses of competition and peak performance
• have skills, experience and/or qualifications with regards to coaching
• be familiar with the psychology of people and/or horses

Perhaps the best horse coach is the one who has been there, done that.  This doesn’t necessarily make them good at communicating with others how to achieve their goals, however.  The successful life coach is a true people person.

Some links worth checking out:
Jane Savoie Dressage
Equestrian Life Coaching

“Show me your horse and I will show you what you are.” – British proverb

tag: horseriding, coaching, instructing, competition, riding with purpose

Facebook is already terribly addictive enough without providing a potential means to carry on an addictive behaviour – writing horses.

I am rather a fan of the fact that the majority of ads on the site do tend to be focused around individual user’s interests, however and this seemed to be the case with an ad for Suite101.com.  A site that covers many topics, Suite101 is made up of a myriad of freelance writers who are contracted to write a minimum of 10 articles every 3 months, ensuring fresh content is published often.

A fan of writing and finding the idea of being paid to write in a roundabout way, I decided to check out the site, finding to my delight that there is a horse section in amongst the Plants and Animals category.

Often looking for new writers, I applied, submitting two examples of my writing that related to specific topics I was interested in writing about and had experience with.  Once the application was approved it was then a question of making sure the formatting of each article suited the uniformity of the site to keep things consistent and professional in looks.

My first article, the Stages of Foaling has been published recently on the site and I am working on others to add.

If you’re interested in flexing your writing skills with regards to horses, consider looking at this site, not as a means to earn an income but to get exposure while writing about a topic you love.  There is however the potential to earn income, with the more you write increasing your chances of this.

“As old wood is best to burn; old horses to ride; old books to read; old wine to drink; so are old friends most trysty to use.” – Leonard Wright

tag: horse literature, writing equine, horse articles

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