Future Requirements

• What would you like to do or gain in your next job?

I have only just left university so I have a lot of experience to gain in my first proper job.

• Do you need accommodation?

No, unless the job is outside the Southwest UK.

• Do you have any special requirements for any animals you wish to bring with you?

No

• Do you have any ongoing commitments?

No

• Do you have any holidays booked that an employer needs to know of?

No

Experience with Horses

Outline your experience with horses here/the scope of your freelance services. If you’re looking for a non-equine or non- yard-based job please use this space to describe your experience skills/abilities and adapt the questions to suit your line of work.

I started riding at fourteen and learnt early how to turn out, care for tack, and rug up horses, since I was in the last class of the day. I then went to Lackham College to do a Level 3 diploma in animal management where I worked with a variety of animals, including donkies and ponies and did my final exam essay on horse care and pasture management. In university I studied equine behaviour and welfare and took part in multiple behavioural studies. I gained hands-on experience training horses here and learnt how to apply the learning theory that I was already familiar with. I worked with a variety of horses on the university yard in a full range from little Welsh ponies to retired racing thoroughbreds in a mixture of temprements. Due to my size, I have quite a lot of experience being put on horses that are too small for most people to ride and therefore can be somewhat unpredictable in ridden behaviour; so I have learnt how to sit well on some very feisty ponies.

Key Skills

What are you particularly good at? For example: working alone, working with others, clipping, plaiting, turning out for shows, handling stallions, handling/riding young horses, non-equine skills etc

When I am given clear instructions, I am very proficient in working indipendantly and efficiently managing my time accross tasks. I am also happy working in a group to coordinate and share the labour of larger tasks and I have a very organisation-focussed mind in these scenarios. I have experience handling quite a variety of horses from those housed at my university including classic cob types, sport horses, and thoroughbreds. Most of my experience is with older horses. I also have a great eye for detail and am often able to very quickly notice when something is wrong with an animal, such as abnormal behaviour changes.

My non-equine skills include computer skills such as data entry, use of Excel, and data analysis.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• What do you most enjoy about working with horses?

I love behaviour science and I think it is truly amazing how we can understand and learn about the behaviour of an animal so different to us in order to communicate, to work together, and to improve the lives and wellbeing of horses themselves. I love seeing how horses show their individuality through their unique behaviours.

• Is there anything you’d like to improve?

As I have just left university, I have not yet held a professional position; so, I would really like to develope my skills and understanding with professional and competition yards.

• Why should employers consider you above any other job seeker?

I am a bright person who is happy to adjust to the needs of the animals I am working with. Animals can be unpredictable and their actions can be influenced by too many factors for someone to always account for, so I find myself able to avoid getting frustrated or annoyed with an animal when they do something that I’d rather they didn’t. Instead, I adjust my own behaviour to prevent repetition, or I think about what about the current situation might have lead the horse to act in a certain way. I have been bitten on the face and thrown into fences, but I can confidently say that it has never made me love horses any less.