COURSE STRUCTURE
There are seven lessons covering

1. Horse Psychology and Handling

• The Horse's memory
• Using Psychology to handle the horse
• Handling the horse in various situations
• Catching a horse
• Putting on a head stall or halter
• Leading a horse
• Putting on a bridle
• Taking off a bridle
• Saddling and unsaddling
• Tying up a horse
• Safety

 

2. Buying A Horse

• Temperament
• Size and weight carrying ability
• Age and sex
• Colour and marking
• Breed

3. Conformation

• Factors affecting conformation
• Ideal conformation
• How to describe conformation

 

4. The Digestive System and the Principles Of Feeding and Watering

• The alimentary canal
• Absorption of Food
• Groups of Nutrients
• Composition of some common feeds
• Principles of Watering
• Principles of Feeding
• Ideal proportions of food types
• Calculating Rations

 

5. The Grass Kept Horse and Pasture Management

• Develop appropriate procedures to manage a horse at grass
• Advantages of Working off Grass
• Disadvantages of Working off Grass
• Paddock size
• Types of Fencing
• The supply of water
• Shelter
• General Management
• Exercise and grooming
• Land Conservation
• Other factors
• Roughing off and turning out

 

6. Grooming

• The skin
• How the Skin Regulates Body Temperature
• Grooming Tools and methods
• Washing the mane and tail
• Caring for grooming tools

 

7. Industry Applications

• Explain commercial opportunities available in the horse industry
• Resources
• Writing resumes
• Competition horses
• Educating horses
• Breeding
• Farm planning
• Quality management systems
• Whole Farm planning
• Preparing farm business plan
• Managing risk
• Sensitivity Analysis
• Financial Planning
• Financial records

Differentiate between the different procedures used for the handling of horses.

• Describe the procedures for the buying and selling of horses.
• Develop a program for the evaluation of the conformation of horses on a property/facility.
• Analyse the digestive system, including structure and function, of horses.
• Develop appropriate procedures to manage a horse at grass.
• Explain the methods used to prepare horses for specific uses, including their grooming for different tasks.
• Explain commercial opportunities available in the horse industry.

WHAT THE COURSE COVERS
Here are just some of the things you will be doing:

• Describe different psychological traits of a horse including: *herd instinct *memory *fright.
• Explain how an understanding of horse psychology can assist with handling a horse.
• Compare three different methods of breaking in a horse.
• Demonstrate how to put on different pieces of tack including: *a head stall *a bridle *a saddle.
• Demonstrate how to lead a horse.
• Demonstrate how to ride a horse.
• Develop a list of safety rules for handling horses in a specified situation.
• Compare the differences in the way two different horse owners handle their horses, at the same horse show or competition.
• Describe the different ways of trading (ie. buying or selling) horses in your locality.
• Develop a checklist of factors to consider when buying a horse for a specified type of use.
• Compare five different advertisements for the sale of horses of a similar type, to determine which of the five appears to be the best value, and listing the reasons why it appears good value.
• Evaluate the features of a horse being offered for sale in your locality, to determine the value of that horse.
• Label an unlabelled diagram of the parts of a horses body.
• Define the different conformation terminology, including: *girth *body proportions *leg settings *conformation *bone.
• Describe the preferred features of the parts of a horses body referred to in earlier points.
• Compare the conformation of two different breeds of horses, based upon a physical inspection of a horse from each breed.
• Compare procedures used to evaluate the conformation of horses at two different properties/facilities.
• Label the parts on an unlabelled diagram of the digestive system of horses.
• Explain the function of different components in a horses diet.
• Explain how the watering of a horse, as observed by you, on a specific property is likely to affect that horses digestive processes.
• Evaluate the digestive processes involved in the digestion of three different horse feeds analysed by you.
• Differentiate between the digestive processes in three different types of horses, including:
  *very active horses *horses being rested.
• Compare the advantages with the disadvantages of keeping a horse at grass.
• Recommend paddock facilities, in your locality, which are appropriate for horses kept at grass.
• Prepare a description, and use illustrations where appropriate, of the facilities you recommended.
• Differentiate between the requirements of a specified horse kept at grass, at different times of the year, in your locality.
• Develop guidelines for managing a specific horse at grass, on a property visited and investigated by you.
• Explain three different husbandry tasks which are essential to the management of the horse investigated by you.
• List the different reasons for grooming horses.
• Describe how to use different items of grooming equipment.
• Write a procedure for washing a horse, in a specified situation.
• Compare how to groom horses for different situations, including: *dressage *pony club competition *exhibitions *stock work.
• List the different applications for horses in modern society.
• List the resources available for different sectors of the horse industry in your locality, including:
  *racing *breeding *competitions *recreational riding.
• Determine the minimum facilities required to establish three different specified businesses in the horse industry, including; *a riding school *a stock agent *another horse business.
• Evaluate the financial viability of four different sectors of the horse industry.
• Evaluate the potential of two different specified horse enterprises in your locality.