Equine

National Certificate in Equine
(Introductory Skills) (Level 2)

This introductory certificate is for entrants into the equine industry. This qualification is intended to provide a general introduction to the industry and to help people decide which sector may provide a career path for them. The course focuses on helping students to gain employment or move on to further training in the equine sector. This is a great course for practical minded students who want to work with horses.

Structure:

This course has a 'roll-on, roll-off' nature, which means that students can start at any time, depending on waiting lists. The course runs from Monday to Thursday, 9am until 4pm, with Fridays set aside for self directed learning or work experience. The qualification takes about a year to complete, depending on the individual student and their personal goals, so we support students for as long as it takes to gain either employment or move on to further training. The course runs from January to December for 47 weeks, including two weeks recess. Two days a week are at our Equestrian Centre and the other two days are at the tutor's horse breeding and training property.

Content:

• Grooming
• Horse care and husbandry
• Catching a horse properly
• Tacking up a horse for exercise
• Knowledge of equipment for riding and care of horses
• Paddock care
• Stable maintenance
• Farrier techniques
• Basic riding skills
• Fencing
• Life skills
• Time management and budgeting
• Health and safety
• First aid
• Work experience

Outcome:

Graduates will achieve the National Certificate in Equine (Introductory Skills) (Level 2) and will have the skills and knowledge for an entry position in the equine industry. Holders of the certificate will be able to perform basic skills and demonstrate elementary knowledge, which is relevant to a career in the equine industry. Graduates will also be able to demonstrate a range of personal 'life-skills', such as communication in a work setting, time management, making a curriculum vitae and so on.

Entry Criteria:

For New Zealand students only. Entry to this free training course is through Work and Income New Zealand for students 18 years and over. Students 16 and 17 years old can also join the course for free. Students must have a genuine interest in the equine industry, be physically fit and in good health to participate in the training which is of a physical nature at times.