I love when you can gain access to free information that’ll help you in your horse knowledge or horse business.  And I especially like sharing about these resources so others can benefit!  I recently signed up to My Horse University as they offer free horse courses as well as paid ones.  They have an upcoming free webinar that focuses on the topic of Horse-Friendly Zoning Practices.

Now this webinar has a specific focus in the United States, but I am sure there will be general information that is valuable to horse owners anywhere around the world.  And knowing what laws are in place elsewhere can open your eyes to what’s available around you.

This webinar is to be run by Christine Hughes.  She is the author of Horse-Friendly Zoning Practices in American Communities and Planning and Zoning Guide for Horse Friendly Communities.

It’s great to hear from people who know what they’re talking about.  As a senior planner in the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, it sounds like Christine has ample experience and knowledge in this area.  As it says in the email about this webinar:

“…author Christine Hughes, AICP, will teach you about ELCR’s new guide on equine zoning. Christine will walk viewers through the guide and help you to understand and use the content and concepts. Of special interest are the descriptions of how individual communities around the US approach and regulate horse-keeping and activities through their zoning process. The guide, with an introduction by Tom Daniels PhD, professor, author and director at University of Pennsylvania Department of City and Regional Planning, is posted on the ELCR website (https://elcr.org/zoning-best-practices/) and will be available for preview and download.”

If you’re interested but cannot attend the webinar at this time, no worries!  Any My Horse University webinar is recorded and archived for free viewing at a later date.  You can check out the archived webinars online.  Maybe you’ll find other topics of interest!

Recently I was looking at a reference link for some equine resources at work.  It took me to the My Horse University website.  Looking through the site, I was excited to discover that there are some free courses available on this site.  Who doesn’t love free horse courses?  These are available for people to check out the quality and content of courses on offer on the My Horse University site.

So what are the free horse courses on offer?  You can sign up for:

• Biosecurity for Horses
• Purchasing and Owning a Horse 101
• Horse Industry Labour Force
• Horse Sense: Equine Youth Safety

As you browse through the My Horse University website you will see they also have free resources on offer.  These are in the form of webinars, Podcasts and articles.

As it states on their website, their mission is two fold:

“1. To help horse enthusiasts achieve their goals by providing the educational resources that promote better horse care, environmental stewardship and recreation.  2. To be the premier provider of online education for horse enthusiasts.”

There are so many resources online these days that don’t allow horse owners to be ignorant.  With free courses, free fact sheets and even free books relating to horses, you can learn about practically any facet of the horse industry without it costing you anything.  Well of course, it does cost you time!  But that is one worthy investment.  If you’re looking to increase your horse knowledge in 2018, why not start with one of the free courses at My Horse University?

“My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake, I fancy I am still in the orchard at Birtwick, standing with my friends under the apple trees.” ― Anna Sewell, Black Beauty

I am currently in the process of a collaborative project with some horse book authors.  Because we are from differing countries, we have varying terms that we use to describe horse related things.  Consider the grass area where you may house a horse – what do you call it?  A paddock?  Perhaps a field?  Maybe you keep them in pastures.  There are terms we may use that are unknown to readers of our information.  But what if there was a horse dictionary you could utilise to compare various horse terms?  Perhaps it could even identify a word such as paddock and then highlight what this may be known as in other countries.

The Horse Dictionary may need to be a collaborative project. This could be between people from the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other English speaking countries.  Or perhaps it could be created by one person. But they have access to people in varying countries that can undertake a survey.

When it comes to creating horse information for others to read, it is important that we are able to communicate it in such a way that people understand.  I am aware as an Australian author that some terms I use are new to my readers. They are often in the United States and United Kingdom.  Although I feel it is good for them to be aware of different horse terms in other countries, I also explore different terms on my author website, explaining these concepts.

The Horse Dictionary

What if there was one place online that writers could go to as a reference point?  Perhaps they’re writing an informative article for the United States.  Or they want to promote a new horse welfare product for the United Kingdom.  Or maybe they’re to be doing a presentation of their horse services in New Zealand.  If they could adjust their terminology to match the country they’re presenting it in, how helpful would this resource be?

I recently got an email from Equinology that outlined their 2018 courses being available online for enrolment.  On top of this, they have a promotion going titled Win Your Equinology Course Free.  Now I’m assuming you’re like me and can’t pass up a free horse course?  I love to learn new things, especially when it’s not costing me!

Curious to know how you could win your Equinology Equine Body Worker Certification or Equine Owners course, free?  Head along to this link.

Some info on the linked page includes:

The Equinology® Equine Body Worker Certification Giveaway
Enrol in ANY of our scheduled 2018 Equinology® Equine Body Worker Certification Courses in Australia and New Zealand (there are three of them: February NZ, March AU, September AU) between 23.11.17 and 23.12.17 and receive:
Your EQ50 Equine Anatomy PreCourse Study FREE – Valued at $125 AUD / $140 NZD.; and

Go in the draw to win your course fees FREE. It’s sort of like a scholarship but without the hard work. It’s sheer luck. Yes you read that correctly. This prize is valued at $3,595 AUD /$3,995 NZD + your EQ50 ($125 AUD / $140 NZD);

*It is worth noting, this competition is open to people undertaking courses in Australia or New Zealand.

Win Your Equinology Course Free

Perhaps you’re interested in further study options for 2018.  Well you can undertake many different Equinology courses.  You can choose between online courses run at your own pace, short immersive sessions or professional qualifications with field work as a part of them.

Topics include anatomy, equine spinal dysfunction and biomechanics.  Head along to https://www.equinebodywork.com.au/2017-courses to find out more. 2018 dates are listed beside each possible course.

If you’re planning to further your education next year – and maybe even start a career – look into these courses!  They are specifically for those who want to do hands on work with horses and their anatomy system.