I was chatting with the Horse Studies coordinator today about a student who’s currently undertaking a horse course with the view to getting into Veterinary Nursing. The coordinator informed me that Box Hill was adjusting their Vet Nursing course so that rather than applicants having to have employment in a vet nursing role (which is a common pre-requisite), someone employed on a horse stud can also apply to do the course.

For those who are interested in pursuing a Vet Nursing career, doing a Certificate IV while in employment can lead to later completing a Diploma that focuses on Surgical, Dental or Emergency / Critical Care.

For personal interest, I’ve been considering doing a Vet Nursing / Equine Nursing course to learn more about a specialised area of horse or animal care. However becoming employed at a vet practice isn’t something I foresee happening in the future as this isn’t particularly where I want to work.

So, although the interest is there to learn more, it wasn’t really possible because I didn’t want to pursue vet nursing as a career. I do love stud work however and would consider going back to it, so it’s exciting to know that I could also be doing a Vet Nursing course, gaining another qualification and learning more skills that will be helpful in stud work.

Sometimes if you don’t think you can do what you want for a particular course, it’s worth looking around at all the possibilities to see if there might be just one that does things a little differently. Sometimes it’s just a question of taking a different path… er, window.

“They told me that when I bought a horse I would meet lots of new people. I did, and everyone of them is holding out their hands for money – the farrier, the saddler, the vet etc.”

tag: course, horse stud, diploma, australia, TAFE, education, equine nursing, vet nursing, equine dentistry

==============================

Usually the passengers of frequently delayed flights are made to stay at the las vegas condos. It is just a way of surviving, instead of opting for expensive chicago apartments. However chances are you will miss the reservations on national car rental and might have to settle for the second best, hertz car rental.

Droughts can be one of the biggest enemies of those who utilise their land to keep livestock going. Consequently, it is worth investing in someone who can help us to maintain pastures to the best of our capabilities and price range. This should help to minimise potential costs in regards to keeping our horses fed.

On my dream 400 acres, I plan to have 300 acres for the agistment (livery) of 100 horses. This way I’ll have the chance to rotate pastures, making sure the property doesn’t get overgrazed and fields therefore damaged. I’ll also look into getting advice from someone who knows a thing or two about the maintenance of paddocks.

Other than for grazing, a grassy area may need to be maintained on an equine related property for competitive uses such as grass racetracks, a polo field or cross country course or something to that effect.

Investing at least once a year in someone to come out and help with harrowing, reseeding, putting down lime and other such maintenance measures may mean the difference between a good or bad pasture for grazing the following year.

There are many things we can do ourselves to maintain paddocks but there are also businesses out there that specialise in this field (pardon the pun).

Take a look at:
– Burrows Contractors – located in Berkshire in the UK, they specialise in land drainage for equestrian facilities, paddock maintenance and more.
– Almighty Fodder Systems – A system aiming to utilise the grain you would normally feed to stock and allow it to germinate to increase the amount of feed available to stock, thereby saving money.

There are also courses that cover pasture management:
– ACS Distance Education – 100 hour course focusing on grass varieties, establishing pastures and managing pastures plus more.
– Day course in Tasmania

It is also possible to partake in Agricultural courses that cover a broad range of subjects relating to specific livestock and pasture management. In a time where weather conditions make it hard for us to keep properties going, those who are able to provide manageable and cost effective ways to keep properties from going under may just find themselves in a business that is in huge demand.

“We two have shared great joy and great sorrow. And now I stand at the gate of the paddock watching you run in an ecstasy of freedom, knowing you will return to stand quietly, loyally beside me.” – Pam Brown

tag: property design, property management, equine nutrition, maintenance, pasture management

I believe people can put off getting a qualification because they’re not sure what sort of effort will need to be put in, if they’re up to the standard to achieve the qualification or because they’re questioning it’s relevance to what they want to do in a particular industry.

The past two weeks have been a fortnight of firsts: I received my first pay from Box Hill TAFE for teaching a horse studies subject; today I performed my one hour session relating to grooming horses for my Certificate IV in Training and Assessment which I officially finish next Saturday and last weekend an EFA Coach Educator came out to the riding school I teach at and assessed around half a dozen instructors for their Introductory to Coaching. This is what I want to focus on.

In the one day the instructors managed to get marked off for two of the four Introductory Horse Management Activities and one of the two riding components. This leaves me to believe that if we had another two days with an assessor coming out, we could feasibly have the other two management sections marked off, a riding section and have our instructing assessed also. If so, then we could send in the paperwork to the Equestrian Federation of Australia, attend a two day face to face Introductory Coaching course and be assessed on coaching and gain the qualification as an Introductory Coach.

This is a big goal for me for this year. I’ve concluded I have a long way to go in my riding and the theory of riding if I were to go for my Level 1 in instructing but believe the Introductory Coach qualification is feasible and once achieved, I could purchase my own insurance and teach my own clients. Very appealing for someone who wants to run their own place eventually.

So what do you need to be able to gain this qualification?
Riding over the flat:
– be familiar with warming up the horse at walk, trot and canter
– know trot diagonals and canter leads
– be familiar with the paces of the horse and footfalls
– a working knowledge of flexion and bend
– 20m circles, figure of eights and 3 loop serpentines
– cool down routine
Riding in the open and over trot poles:
– working knowledge of the forward seat, 3 and 2-point positions
– maintain a controlled forward seat over trot poles at walk/trot
– maintain a controlled forward seat over a series of poles at walk/trot
– knowledge of road rules and protective gear when riding out

Horse management:
– Activity 1: 1 hour exam based on setup of a stable, feeding horses and storage of food, water, laminitis, holding horse, vaccinations, grooming, bedding, fencing, poisonous plants, brushes, points of the horse, markings, types of nosebands, etc. Questions are generally worth one or two marks, not needing in depth answers.
– Activity 2: Safe approach, catching and leading of horse; secure and identify sex, colour and markings; taking vitals; groom and tack up horse; pulling apart and naming parts of bridle and saddle; grooming horse and fitting boots; fitting a rug and identifying stable bedding, fencing, feed/water points, gates, safety relating to fire, separating horses from traffic, safe storage of equipment.
– Activity 3: fitting travel boots and tail bandage; recognising symptoms of skin conditions; assessing lameness; identify feeds and discuss storage of; wash horse and trill poll and withers.
– Activity 4: Lunging – identify safe area to lunge, fit lunging gear, demonstrate safe lunging.

* Attending the 2 Day face to face course must be carried out before carrying out Introductory Coaching section of the course. Attendance of this course also requires the completion of the ASC Beginning Coaching Workbook. (Activity 1)

Coaching:
– Activity 2: 1 hour exam based on safety in lessons; management of accidents, staying up to date on accreditation, correct riding gear, benefits of coaching, goals and lesson plans, knowledge of layout of arena, legal responsibilities, equestrian coaching terms, types of insurance and arena traffic rules.
– Activity 3: Coaching Principles broken up into Coach Observation and Risk Management Planning.
– Activity 4: Lesson Planning – with a list of movements on the horse, dividing these into eight progressive lesson plans for a beginner.
– Activity 5: Coaching Practical broken up into Coaching an Individual and Coaching a Group.
– Activity 6: Lunging a Rider.

It looks like a lot but if you’re already instructing and are up on your own riding and theory of riding, then a lot is easy to get marked off almost immediately as long as you have the access to an assessor. I believe that seven full days of being assessed would have this qualification gained (not including sessions asking questions or learning particular parts that you’re to be assessed on).

If you’ve been thinking about coaching but weren’t sure if you have what it takes, consider the above sections and how comfortable you feel about each one to help you determine if you should be joining up with the Equestrian Federation of Australia and getting yourself qualified to coach.

“The substitution of the internal combustion engine for the horse marked a very gloomy milestone in the progress of mankind.” – Sir Winston Churchill

tag: course, training, australia, Level 1, EFA, coaching, instructing, insurance

Got the usual email from the EFA in my inbox a couple of days ago and thought for those interested in Course Design or Carriage Driving that are not familiar with what the Equestrian Federation of Australia offers, thought I’d bring attention to these:

Carriage Driving ‘Introduction and Level 1 Coach and Personal Driving Skills’ workbooks released
“Over the past 18 months the EFA National office in association with the EFA National Driving Committee and other driving specialists has been working to re-develop the EFA NCAS Introductory and Level 1 Carriage Driving Coach accreditation scheme. These workbooks have now been finalised and are available for purchase through the EFA.”

There are three Carriage Driving workbooks that are available for purchase through the EFA Shop Coaching Resource Order Form
– Introductory and Level 1 Carriage Driving Personal Driving Skills (sold as one workbook) $55.00
– Introductory Carriage Driving Coach $77.00
– Level 1 Carriage Driving Coach $110.00

The EFA will be running an FEI Eventing Course for Judges, Technical Delegates and Course Designers from the 6 to 9 June at Werribee, Melbourne.

The course is available for any Eventing official wishing to be promoted from National to FEI Candidate International, and Candidate to International status and those wishing to maintain their current FEI status. For further information and detailed information pack including application form, please visit: FEI Eventing Officials Course.

If you’re interested in gaining qualifications for either of these interests/disciplines, consider looking into these.

“Drumming hooves, quiet ground… nature’s song of joy.”