Equus Education

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Pony Club

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Got a horse crazy kid in Australia? Pony Club is a great way to help them to learn to ride, show and look after their horse. Pony Club was my first introduction to riding lessons and in a group.

My first pony, Pride, that I now own, was available to me initially on a lease basis – $50/month and the horse was mine, tack was available to ride him in and 100+ acres to ride across. An added bonus to where I leased him, Pony Club was run the first Sunday of every month on the property.

PC allows kids to ride together with classes on dressage, show jumping and games and learn about horses through theory lessons each month. Kids that are eager to improve are encouraged to be graded on their horses (from base level 4 – 1) and complete certificates (D/D*, C, B, A, K) that test knowledge of the child’s fitness of the horse, nutrition, care, grooming, etc.

PC is great for kids wanting to compete, learn to instruct or just improve their relationship with their horse and capabilities to care for it.

Irish Pony Club Website
UK Pony Club
Hong Kong Pony Club
US Pony Club
Pony Club Australia
Canadian Pony Club
New Zealand Pony Club

“All horseback riding is great until you go to a $40 show for a 75c ribbon.”

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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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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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