.:EQUUS:.

Blog Action Day is here again. Last year the focus was on Poverty - check out the Equus post ‘Horses = …poverty?’

What is Blog Action Day?  October 15 of each year marks a set date where bloggers around the world can unite and write with regards to a topic that affects us, worldwide.   It’s a great way to raise awareness considering the number of people that access blogs on the internet.  Oh, and it’s a good way to generate further hits on your blog, too.

This year’s focus is Climate Change and the idea is to not wander away from your general topic of conversation that covers your blog but to incorporate this topic into yours.  I’m having a bit of a think on climate change and how horse owners are affected by it and will put together a post to be published on October 15 in line with the 4,500+ other bloggers who are already registered.

Between these registered blogs, they total nearly 11,000,000 readers!  If you’re passionate about this topic, have a blog and think you can incorporate it into one of your posts, consider heading on over to http://www.blogactionday.org/ to register your blog and get writing!

“A man of kindness to his horse, is kind
But brutal actions show a brutal mind.
He was designed thy servant, not thy drudge.
Remember his creator is thy judge.”

tag: blog action day, horses and climate change, greater cause

I’ve recently come back from Residential School - a week of uni that requires I attend lectures and partake in exams for the two subjects that I am currently undertaking part time as a Distance Education student.

As is the case any time I find myself in a new environment that is horse related, I met a lot of interesting people and had my eyes opened to many other things I wasn’t aware of with regards to horses.  I was also made aware of people that are well known with regards to starting and bringing on horses and left with a list of names to look up online.

One of our lecturer’s mentioned the fact that they had carried out some technical writing with regards to a horse section on a show that aired weekly.  Another writing job that relates to horses that I hadn’t considered!

Wikipedia has a rather broad definition of a technical writer or technical communicator, the key phrase standing out for me being “produces technical documentation for… consumer audiences.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_writer

So when I think of consumer audiences, and ones that specifically led to me teaching more people about horses and riding, I think of the Saddle Club.

There were a large number of preteens and early teens that decided to take up horse riding a couple of years back when I was instructing at a lower level.  Why?  Because they’d seen the Saddle Club and the interest in the show suddenly turned into an interest in learning to ride.

It may be a wrong assumption, but I would guess that there are people that know how to make a children’s show or one for any other demographic for that matter that want to focus it around horses.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that they know enough about horses to be able to make the show realistic.  This is where a Technical Writer may come in.

Think of the likes of Burke’s Backyard with an animal segment, the Saddle Club, Heartland, movies such as Flicka or the Black Stallion.

There are a number of books and movies out there that don’t seem completely believable with some of the aspects but that’s the joys of poetic license, I guess.  This doesn’t take away from the fact that some texts, movies, or shows may employ a person or persons to either resource information from those in the know, or have someone in the know write the information in a technical manner that can be put to use.

Just because you know horses however, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re equipped to be a technical writer with regards to them.

MyFuture has a page focused on such a career - http://www.myfuture.edu.au/services/default.asp?FunctionID=5050&ASCO=253421A and also lists the sort of courses you would expect to have to complete to be qualified to take on such a position - http://www.myfuture.edu.au/services/default.asp?FunctionID=5360&ASCO=253421A&StateCode=VIC.

No surprises as to what they focus on - writing skill.

Perhaps if your skills do lie in the writing field and you have a love of horses and a sound knowledge base then this may be a path worth considering.

“Bread may feed my body, but my horse feeds my soul.”

tag: horse library, horse books, writing, equine shows, technical writer

I’m signed up to the Australian Thoroughbred Employee’s Notes on Facebook and a recent note I thought worth a mention on here.

The proposal is a ‘talent identification program’ for track riders.  Gaye Gauci of Racing Victoria Limited and Chris Watson of Glenormiston College have prepared this program with the hope of it being “a real avenue to provide current Victorian pony club level C certificate holders with a full overview of all equine career opportunities they could pursue now or in the future in the Equine Industry.”

What a great idea!  I was very slack and didn’t get up to my C Certificate in Pony Club but if I had have known doing so could have opened doors to possibilities within the equine industry, it would have been drive enough for me to do so with my riding.

“This talent identification program was designed and developed to involve Victorian pony clubs in helping identify talented riders and providing them 3 units of competency from the National Racing Industry Training Package, a 7 day trackwork riding workshop/camp.”

So I’m a little obsessed with any course that is nationally recognised or provides units that can be later marked off for a particular course and this seems a great way for someone to start and see if the equine world is indeed for them.

Application Forms are now available from your local Victorian Zone Representative.
Timelines:
- applications to Club by June 10th
- Zone selection by June 15th
- Induction day & enrolments at Glenormiston on July 7th
- Camp commences September 27th - October 3rd 2009

Selection criteria:
- you must be aged 15 or over,
- be currently registered as a pony club member with PCAV,
- have completed your “C” certificate and
- submitted a completed official application form

“The success of this camp is vital as it could form a program that could be offered in other areas of Victoria at different times throughout the year using the same formula in the future.”

Tags: horse studies, equine career, horse racing, horse course, horse education, pony club

***Know that you want a career with horses but not sure what exactly?  Check out the Vocation 100 page for a growing list of possible vocations with horses and relating posts.***

I’m reading Wild Ride at the moment; having been loaned it by the gentleman who provides agistment for my horse.

The story revolves around Calumet farm in the USA and it’s rise and fall within the racing world and at one point with regards to the mighty Alydar and a broken leg, an ‘orthopedist’ is sought to see to the famous stallion.

I’ve written posts relating to vetting in general but realise that it’s possible to specialise further down the line.  Orthopedics can be defined as “the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention or correction of injuries or disorders of the skeletal system and associated muscles, joints, and ligaments.”

The saying no foot, no horse is as true as it is that if there is an issue with a horse’s leg or skeletal system resulting in lameness, your horse can be out of action which causes the loss of use of that particular animal.

If you’re someone who wants to see where medicine is headed with regards to horse’s feet, lameness, their legs and the care and rehabilitation of, then perhaps the path of Equine Orthopedics is worth considering.

It seems that veterinary medicine is the door through which to end up in this specialised field but perhaps initial work as a farrier at a younger age would assist in gaining a strong foundation with regards to a horse’s hoof and leg, movement, soundness and lameness.

Some links worth checking out:
http://web.mac.com/mjmartinelli/Site/Home.html - California Equine Orthopedic Center.
http://www.equineortho.colostate.edu/faq.htm - Topics from the Equine Orthopedic Research Center.
http://www.ecampus.com/bk_detail14.asp?isbn=9780813821375 - Book on Equine Orthopedics and Rheumatology.

“Each leg in it’s gallop seems to stream with a rush of speed as though from a bucket of water poured o’er the field.” - Arabian Poet

Tags: equine orthopedics, equine career, horse job, horse vet, farrier

I was out walking and chatting with a mate today who’s undertaking a Diploma of Performance Horse Management and it seems they had a most interesting guest speaking to them yesterday.

Dr. Judith L. Mulholland, or the ‘farriervet‘ was out to speak to the TAFE students with regards to horse and hoof care.

I’ve just been accepted into the Bachelor of Equine Science and although I love study, couldn’t see myself dedicating the time it’d take to become a Vet, nor the body power and study it’d take to become a capable farrier.

It seems this wonderwoman has done both and now travels to teach others the things she’s put years into discovering.

So maybe you’re not interested in farriery or vet work but you do have a couple of interests with regards to horses and skills or the horse course qualification to match; consider thinking outside the square to see if you can combine the skills to create your own niche market.

After all, if your horse appears to be lame or unsound, who better to see to it’s diagnosis and treatment than a qualified farriervet?

“When in doubt, ask a horse.”

Tags: equine niche, equine career, horse job, horse vet, farrier