The home of thoroughbred horseracing, Newmarket, was just one of the iconic equine institutions that played host to an informative and intriguing study tour for the next generation of the industry.
FdSc Equitation Behaviour and Training Year 1 students at Duchy College had an extremely busy time visiting lots of different organisations linked to the racing industry.
They visited the National Stud where they saw incredible stallions and foals, and had a tour of the facilities.
They then went onto Newmarket Equine Hospital, a world renowned specialist veterinary centre providing first opinion and referral services for horses throughout the UK and internationally.
The Godolphin Thoroughbred Rehoming facilities were the next stop, which rehomes and retrain thoroughbred geldings most of whom have raced, but there are others who have simply not made the grade.
The re-homing yard demonstrated some exceptional equitation practices and welfare friendly training was evident by all that was going on around the yard.
Student, Jasmine Chanter, from Plymouth, said: “We all had a brilliant time. The places we visited were really interesting and I learnt a lot from the experience. We also had lots of fun too”
Following on from the rehoming scheme the students had a tour of the Godolphin Pre-Training yard which stabled 100 horses. There facilities included a sea walker and spa for the horses.
The students also visited the National Horseracing Museum, which contains collections and records of people and horses involved in the sport of horse racing from its Royal origins to modern heroes.
HE Programme Manager, Catherine McMeeking, said “The welfare of the horse is at the centre of all practice within our HE equine provision at Duchy College and this study tour was particularly informative in the area of training and management.
“Offering our higher education students an insight into the vast array of career opportunities within the equestrian world is an essential part of their education during their time with us, linking theory to practice is the key to gaining successful employment”.
The study tour continued with a visit to the The British Racing School, where people who want a career in the racing industry go to study.
To conclude the study tour the students visited the Equine Therapy Centre & Veterinary Practice, in Moulton, where they were they had an explanation and demonstration on the benefits of using a water treadmill, pool and horse spa to help with both equine training and rehab.
For more information on the range of equine courses available across The Cornwall College Group visit www.duchy.ac.uk or call 0330 123 2523.
