FdSc Equine Management, Training and Coaching

48 UCAS tariff points, plus GCSEs in English, Mathematics and a Science at grade 4/C or above (or equivalent qualifications)

In addition to academic qualifications, equine husbandry competence and experience is required and a commitment to an intellectual challenge, as well as a satisfactory reference.

Mature students (aged 21 years+) who do not meet the traditional entry requirements but have sufficient equine experience are welcome to apply. Applications will be assessed on their individual merits.

International Applicants:
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.5, with a minimum score of 6 in each component (reading, writing, listening and speaking), or an equivalent English Language qualification.

Accreditation of prior learning:
If you have achieved a qualification such as a HNC, or have gained credit at another higher education provider, you may be able to enter the course at Level 5.

Teaching:
Teaching is primarily face-to-face and includes theoretical lectures, practical demonstrations, seminars, group and individual tutorials and workshops, and occasional elements of online learning. (Seminars enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in the lectures in smaller groups.)

In addition, you will have timetabled meetings with your personal tutor.

Class sizes for equine specific modules are anticipated to be between 10 – 15 students.

Those modules that also feature within the FdSc Animal Welfare and Behaviour and FdSc Wildlife Conservation courses may have class sizes of up to 40 students.

Independent learning:
When not attending lectures, seminars and practical sessions or other timetabled session you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research, preparing coursework assignment and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

Your independent learning is supported by a range of facilities, including the Learning Resource Centre and Canvas, our virtual learning environment.

Overall workload:
Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, around 15 hours’ independent learning and assignment activity, with each credit taken equating to a total study time of around 10 hours.

The following information gives you an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the course -

Level 4 - 21% per cent of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity:
- Teaching, learning and assessment - 252 hours
- Independent learning - 948 hours

Level 5: 16 per cent of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity:
- Teaching, learning and assessment - 189 hours
- Independent learning - 861 hours
- Work Placement - 150 hours

Academic Support:
Our HE Academic Support Tutor provides help in the following areas:
- Study skills (including reading, writing, note-taking, and presentation skills)
- Written English (including punctuation and grammatical accuracy)
- Academic writing (including how to reference)
- Research skills (in conjunction with the learning centres)
- Critical thinking and understanding arguments
- Revision, assessment, and examination skills (including time management)

Teaching staff:
You will be taught by an experienced teaching team, whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior lecturers that are professional practitioners with considerable industry experience within the fields of equine management and coaching.

Our teaching is informed by the relevant practice within the sector and 100% of our lecturers have a teaching qualification.
Assessment:
The course provides you with opportunities to test your understanding of the subject informally before you complete the formal assessments that count towards your final mark. Each module normally contains at least one piece of practice or ‘formative’ assessment for which you receive feedback from your tutor.

There are generally two formal or ‘summative’ assessments at the end of each module. Assessment methods include written assessments and examinations, individual and group presentations, scientific reports, portfolios and reflective reports, practical and practical/oral examinations and have been chosen to specifically reflect methods of assessment within industry.

The grades from formal assessment count towards your module mark.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework:
The approximate percentage of the course assessed by coursework is as follows:

Year 1 -
- 62% coursework

Year 2 -
- 88% coursework
- 12% practical exams

Feedback:
You will receive feedback on all practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request form the module tutor. Feedback is intended to help you learn and you are encouraged to discuss it with your module tutor.

We aim to provide you with feedback within 10 working days of hand-in (practice assessments) and 20 working days of hand-in (formal coursework assessment).

You should have achieved GCSEs in English and Mathematics at grades A* to C or 9 to 4, or Level 2 equivalent qualifications.

The course includes a requirement of 150 hours of work experience which can be conducted throughout the two years to suit the individual. This may consist of one or several work placements to support career progression.

The course benefits from interaction with a variety of local rural and equestrian enterprise and allied equine sector professionals.

In addition to attending lectures you would need to spend an extra 10-15 hours week on independent study which would included completing recommended reading and research for assessments.

The course runs over two years and requires significant independent study in addition to lecture attendance - usually around 10-15 hours weekly.

Timetables are normally available at enrolment. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week.

This course will aim to provide direct progression opportunities to individuals within the fields of equine management, equestrian training and coaching and has been designed to appeal to students with a variety of previous equestrian experience The course will equip graduates with the knowledge and practise of ethical training and management techniques and the use of technology which will be of benefit to career progression within the equestrian sector, but also the wider animal and education sectors.

A variety of core and specialist modules are studied over the two years.

The curriculum has been designed to provide sound underpinning knowledge for all aspects of equine performance and management, including mammalian anatomy, physiology and nutrition, animal health and ethics and welfare.

Basic industry practical skills are developed from the course outset, alongside an equine training module which runs throughout both years focussing on behavioural modification based on equine learning theory. These modules offer students the opportunity to conduct either in-hand or ridden training, or a combination of both factors (subject to rider weight limit for equine welfare) for short or long-term goals, based on equine behaviour, cognition, physiology, and biomechanics.

Coaching modules are included in both years, which cater for those new to equestrian coaching but also those with significant prior coaching experience. Here, opportunities to develop knowledge of coaching theory accompany practical coaching sessions, use of emerging technology and reflective practise to maximise your personal development.

Academic skills modules run over the two years to develop academic communication, research techniques, use of software packages, project management and evaluative skills.

A business skills module run in the second year provides practical experience of event management and commercial enterprise to develop invaluable entrepreneurial thinking.

The course includes a requirement of 150 hours of work experience, which can be conducted throughout the two years to suit the individual. This may consist of one or several work placements to support career progression.

The emphasis within the first year is building underpinning theoretical knowledge and sound practical industry skills. These are then built upon and expanded and applied within a range of practical situations in the second year.

Modules:
This module map provides a list of the modules that make up your course. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. You must take modules worth a total of 120 credits at each level of the course.

Our teaching is informed by current practice and modules may change periodically to reflect developments in the sector. The modules (all compulsory) available on the course are as follows and each year consists of six 20 credit modules.

Year 1 for full-time students Level 4:

Semester 1 -
- Mammalian Anatomy, Physiology and Nutrition
- Pre-Industry Skills

Semester 2 -
- Animal Health Management
- Introduction to Equestrian Coaching

Year Long Modules -
- Introduction to Academic Skills
- Preliminary Equine Training

Year 2 for full-time students Level 5:

Semester 1 -
- Ethics and Animal Welfare

Semester 2 -
- Equestrian Coaching for Performance

Year Long Modules -
- Industrial Experience
- Research Methods
- Intermediate Equine Training
- Event Management

University of Cumbria

The course is worth 240 credits.