Equus Education

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Instructing in Australia

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Plan – wipe out as many ignorant horse owners as possible through owning my own agistment property, running a riding school and having facilities and contacts available for all areas of horse work.
Weakness – impatience!

I’m currently working on a stud to improve my hands on, still be working with horses and have the chance to earn/save money. This isn’t enough though! I want to instruct eventually and thankfully boss is kind enough to agist my horse so I can ride often, but I need the piece of paper that says I am qualified to instruct. After a small amount of research, one has discovered there are a few different possibilities in relation to teaching:

NCAS – Level 1 instructing is through Pony Club Australia and on the Pony Club Victoria website, it is stated to be for people over 18 years of age, designed to enable them to instruct at Pony Club C Certificate level and above; Candidates are expected to attend an NCAS Pony Club Level 1 Course (32 hours total) with 100% attendance.

EFA – Equestrian Federation of Australia – The EFA covers many disciplines – dressage, eventing, showjumping, show horse, reining, paraequestrian, vaulting, endurance and more. They offer coaching courses under an EFA/NCAS registered intructor. Need to be a member of the EFA to be able to become qualified. FEI is the International Federation for Equestrian sport.

RDA – it is also possible to be qualified to coach as part of Riding for the Disabled. The RDA Victoria, Australia website has some information although I’m sure any RDA branch would welcome those interested in coaching.

http://www.horseridingcoach.com/instructors.aspx – I stumbled across this site from the Pony Club Victoria website while looking into instructing qualifications. The courses offered here are appealing as you pay as you go at your own pace. There is a good response time in relation to doing your theory, handing it in and getting results back corrected. My only issue is finding an accredited person to mark off practical skills for me. Also some ‘events’ need to be carried out in a riding school. So, working in a riding school may be the easiest way to go about being qualified, but while working on a stud, the idea of being able to work toward being a qualified instructor also, is very appealing.

Before heading off to Ireland, I was doing about one module a month which costs between $100-200 each month – $50 a week investment and after 13 months (13 modules) you can be qualified to instruct at basic level… not bad!

“Definition: Equitation – The ability to keep a smile on your face and proper posture while your horse tries to crowhop, shy and buck his way around a show ring.”

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Finding Work Online

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So there are many different courses and holidays that you can do with horses to gain experience and qualifications, but this isn’t always a financially viable option. The best way to get hands on and learn as much as possible is to actually get yourself a job with horses.

If you really want both the qualifications and the hands on, there are places that are willing to help staff by sending them along to seminars, or apprenticeships that can be carried out, or once earning money, it may be possible to invest in doing a correspondence course outside of work hours.

For me, stud work is currently the most appealing as it covers so many aspects of the horse’s life and you can work on a stud almost anywhere in the world. However, if something else appeals – go for it! Polo, dressage, show jumping, cross country, polocrosse, national hunt, western, farriery, vet, pacers/trotters and many more.

http://www.stablemate.net.au/ advertises jobs in most of these fields and in Australia, Europe, America and Canada.
http://www.horsedirectory.com.au/classifieds/index.php?mid=1 – Horse Directory Australia offers the chance for employers to advertise jobs for sale in all states of Australia and also for those seeking to publish their skills and the type of job they are looking for.
http://www.horses-sales.com/horse_classifieds.shtml has links to possible jobs with horses under many different countries.
http://www.agriseek.com/work/e/Employment/Equine-Horses/ advertises jobs based on category or location.

“Even the greenest horse has something to teach the wisest rider.”

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AI Course, Colorado

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Another course!

The one thing that annoys me about the Thoroughbred racing industry is that AI is illegal. Now, there are valid arguments both for and against the use of AI, but either way, being something that is used in the breeding side of the horse industry outside of Thoroughbreds, I’d be interested in learning about it.

Was chatting with a mate about this while in Ireland working and another that has spent a bit of time studying in the US suggested a short course on AI at the Colorado State University.

Did a little search and:
http://equinescience.colostate.edu/content/view/41//

“The four-day course includes 24 hours of classroom instruction and 12 hours of laboratory work in mare and stallion management, seminal collection and evaluation, artificial insemination, and care of the pregnant mare and neonatal foal. Participants are encouraged to actively participate in the collection and evaluation of semen and insemination of mares. Topics to be covered include anatomy and physiology of the mare and stallion genital tract, hormonal relationships and fertility, seminal collection and evaluation, techniques of artificial insemination, factors affecting sperm production and output, sexual behavior of the stallion, training a stallion to a phantom, hormonal control of the estrous cycle and pregnancy, care of the pregnant, foaling and postpartum mare, and nutrition of the stallion and pregnant mare.”

Looks pretty appealing to me! Now, to add that to the list of things to save for… after South Africa next year, the Jackaroo/Jillaroo course, my motorbike and bass guitar. And they say money makes the world go round!

“A horse has so docile a nature that he would always rather do right then wrong, if only he could be taught to distinguish one from the other.”

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Wild Coast, South Africa

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I’m a firm believer that if you’re interested in it – find out a way to learn more and work in that area.

After finishing studying in Ireland and having a bit of a look around, I’ll be returning to Oz to do the breeding season at my favourite stud and all the while, save for another travelling experience: a working/riding holiday in South Africa mid-2007!

I want to eventually be a riding instructor while running an agistment property and so need to improve my own riding skills before I can teach others. This holiday seems like the perfect opportunity!

http://www.sunrayfarm.co.za/ – Check out the working riding holiday link.

Sunray Farm “offer volunteers the opportunity to come to Africa on a working riding holiday. You stay on the farm and time permitting run the riding project for local disadvantaged children. Horse lovers are given an opportunity to eat, sleep and breathe horses from a couple of weeks holiday or up to 3 months in the volunteer program. You will be able to improve your riding skills, learn about the daily management of a equestrian establishment, work with young foals, school young horses, exercise the trail horses, assist and take out holiday riders on the beach rides, and if there is a Wild Coast Horse Trail booked during your stay you will be asked to join us as an assistant trail guide & groom!”

I figure taking into account flying out from Tullarmarine Airport in Victoria, Australia… it’ll cost around $4,000 Australian to fly over and pay to stay where food and lodgings are provided for around a month… very, very appealing!

“It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall.” – Mexican Proverb

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Jackaroo Course, NSW, Oz

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So I love looking for any sort of course/holiday/work that I can do with horses that is different to what I already know… and gives me a chance to check out another place! Stumbled across this one the other day… not that I remember what I was looking for:

http://www.leconfield.com/

Tis a Jackaroo/Jillaroo ‘school’ set over five days that covers grooming, riding, natural horsemanship (Pat Parelli style), horseshoeing, whip cracking, lassooing, mustering sheep, barrel racing, sheep health, shearing, pasture improvement, fencing/yard building, mustering cattle, yarding and drafting cattle, using working dogs and more.

The school is run at Leconfield on a 5000 acre property in New South Wales and those that run the course offer the possibility of helping you find work afterwards if this is your desire.

So, once I’m back home from Ireland and have had enough of the racehorses for awhile, I think I’ll check this out… just hope I’m up to it! Has anyone done anything like this before?

“Riding: The art of keeping a horse between you and the ground.”

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