Horse Care l

Lesson Structure: Horse Care I BAG102

There are 7 lessons:

Horse psychology and handling
The early horse
Survival mechanisms of the early horse
The modern horse - behaviour and memory
Using psychology to handle horses
Catching and leading horses
Fitting the bridle and saddle
Tying up a horse
Safety rules
Buying a horse
Temperament
Size
Weight carrying ability
Age
Equine dentitionand ageing
Glossary of terms
Dentition diagrams and detailed explanation
Colour and markings
Breeds
Conformation
The shape of the skeleton
Body proportions and parts
Conformation problems
How to describe confirmation
The digestive system and principles of feeding and watering
The digestive System
The alimentary canal
The Stomach
The small intestine
The large intestine
Absorption of food
Groups of food nutrients
The composition of some common horse feeds
The principles of watering
The principles of feeding
Feeding concentrates and roughages
Feeding groups of horses at one time
The grass kept horse and pasture management
Advantages and disadvantages of working off grass
Paddock size and miniumum area needed
Types of fencing
The water supply
Shelter
Fodder trees
General mangement of the grass-kept horse
Management in summer
Management in winter
Excercise
Grooming the grass-kept horse
Conservation of the land
Keeping horses at grass on small areas
Roughing off and turning a horse out
Grooming
The skin - epidermis, dermis, the coat
How the skin regulates body temperature
Reasons for grooming
Grooming tools
Grooming techniques - strapping, sponging, brushing
Using a stable rubber, dealing with stable stains on grey coats
Oiling the feet
Quartering
Setting Fair/Brushing off
Washing the mane and tail
Washing the sheath
Shampooing the horse
Industry Applications
Resources
Writing resumes - employment readiness
Competition horses (overview) - event horse, dressage horse, show jumper, endurance
Educating Horses
Breeding
Farm planning
Short term operations
Farm business structures
Quality management systems
Whole farm planning
Preparing a farm business
Managing risk
Sensitivity analysis
Financial management
Record keeping
Finance sources
Setting up a small business

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Learning Goals: Horse Care I BAG102

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.

Practicals:

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 (i.e. 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 horse's 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 horse's 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.

Learn to manage the daily requirements of a horse at grass

The ability to handle horses using a range of different procedures
Skills to evaluate a horses conformation
An understanding of diet
Knowledge of grooming procedures
An ability to develop appropriate management procedures for a specific situation.
Knowledge of commercial opportunities in the equine industry, including how to buy and sell horses.