Experience with Horses

I have earned a Level 3 (1080) diploma in equine management, and learned the thorough course material in many useful units such as: yard duties, biology, feeding and nutrition, exercising, health and welfare, equine behaviour, business, fitness, estate skills, preparation for presentation, health and safety, specialist project, rehab and therapy, event management, and competition grooming.These units have given me an amazing understanding of the equine industry as well as the ins and outs of care for a horse and maintaining or improve their health.
The units entail the following:

Yard duties- basic yard jobs, mucking out, grooming, feeding, health checks, turnout, rugging .

Biology- All the biological systems of a horse, how they work, and the importance of them including digestive, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory, cardiovascular, excretory, and endocrine.

Feed and nutrition- included making feed plans to improve condition and manage weight, learning how to manage digestive conditions such as EMS, Cushings, and how to avoid things like laminitis and rhabdomiolysis. Also included the feed groups and what horses are best suited to eating depending on their individual circumstances and what a horses “food pyramid” should look like, the effects of under and over supplementing and signs of vitamin/mineral deficiency and overdose.

Exercising- this is split into a few units, I did working horses from the ground and exercising horses. Working horses form the ground entailed free schooling, free jumping, long reining, and lunging. All of these were done in multiple paces and over poles. I learned how to effectively use lunging aids as well as when and why they should be used. For exercising horses I learned how to effectively exercise under saddle, as well as the scales of training and assess a horses way of going. I did a range of things including flat schooling, hacking, pole work, grids, desensitisation clinics, jumping, and more.

health and welfare- I learned extensively how to identify and manage illness, how to avoid illness, and the importance of isolation. Under this unit we also learned the importance of preventative care such as farriery, dentistry, health checks, worming/ egg counts, vaccination laws and more.

behaviour- we learned the natural behaviours and dynamics of herd relationships, as well as how we can effectively reduce the rest of stereotypical behaviours and stress behaviours. We also learned how to manage and improve these in the event the horse cannot unlearn them.

business- I learned the ins and outs of business in the equine industry and how to effectively run and expand businesses, as well as learning about legal structures, employment laws, and how to create a good USP.

fitness- this included the effects of training on a horses biological systems and how to effectively increase a horses fitness and maintain it. We also created fitness plans for this to help map out the fitness of competition horses and bringing horses into work after injury.

Estate skills- a brief unit on caring for the land, where I learned hedge trimming, path laying and other skills.

Preparation for presentation- This was a unit teaching me how to turn out a horse properly, we learned how to plait, pull, clip, trim, and quarter mark as well as making take presentable for competition.

health and safety- a brief unit on legislation surrounding the equine industry and safe workplace practices.

specialist project- I undertook an experimental unit exploring the effects of fence colours on a  horses jumping ability. I learned effective research and report writing skills. I also free jumping several horses during this and wrote many risk assessments.

Rehab and Therapy- I learned about the multiple age related and work related injury’s and conditions a horse cannot get, and how to manage and rehabilitate them from these. My main focus point was the report I wrote and rehabilitating a horse from fractured bones.

event management – during this I planned, advertised, ran, and wrote a report on a  clear round event where ~35 people attended. This gave me the ability to manage and host events effectively, plan jump courses, and learn about competition related legislation.

competition groom- For this unit I learned how to care for a horse leading up to competition and wrote an extensive booklet of the care an event horse requires. This included a small feed plan, a small fitness plan, stable care, and preventative care

As for employment, I worked at an RDA when I was in sole charge of the horses’ health and grooming. I also had to work with reschooling, and managing customers that had a variety of physical and mental disabilities and therefore a lot of differing abilities. This ranged from a 6 year old girl who struggled with confidence and fear whilst riding, to a 16 year old girl who struggled taking direction but was excelling with her riding.

 

Key Skills

My previous experience highlighted above shows the majority of my key skills but I will give a short summary

I can work both alone and in a team equally well. After doing my presentation unit with a Merit at college I’m happy to say I can clip, plait, pull, and turnout well. I can also muck out and complete yard duties at a reasonable pace. I can manage events with mindfulness of legislation, I can identify and manage illness and injury as well as take steps to manage and rehabilitate with the help of a veterinarian. I can effectively create fitness and feed plans. I can also sufficiently work horses from the ground and under saddle.

 

Strengths and Weaknesses

• What do you most enjoy about working with horses?

I think horses are very fascinating animals that we have such a small understanding of. I love that we always have more to learn about them.

• Is there anything you’d like to improve?

My riding skills, and skills with horses in general. There will always be something I can get better at

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

I have a massive passion for horses and would like to work with them as a permanent career path. I hold the belief that  as an already knowledgeable young person , I have many decades of experience to gain, and would like to help progress the way the sport and industry views horses as a whole.

Requirements

• What would you like to do or gain in your next job?
I would like to primarily continue working with horses and gain more experience in the industry

• Do you need accommodation?
Accommodation required if it is a significant distance from where I live

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

No

• Do you have any ongoing commitments?

College, until July 1st

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

No