Short Course

About the course

If you are a veterinary professional, work in the emergency services, own or work with horses, then this course is for you.

Horses are typically seen as accident-prone animals. It is every owner's worst nightmare to think of their horse being trapped in a floating accident, in mud, sand or deep water, or by falling down a steep ravine. Unfortunately, though these scenarios do happen and participants in this introductory course will learn some valuable skills to help in these situations; know what to do when the unthinkable occurs. 

This course is suitable for veterinary professionals, horse owners and members of the emergency service. It caters to those with little horse experience to very experienced horsemen.  

Course availability is subject to minimum numbers and participant numbers are limited to 20 per course. 

Please note: This course, along with our other equine short courses, is run to demand throughout New Zealand. We hold waiting lists for many areas. If you or your club/organisation are interested in hosting any of our equine short courses in your area, please contact Steph.Mann@op.ac.nz 

Course dates and duration

This course has a flexible intake and lasts for three hours. 

Course fee

$100 

Subsidies may be available for some organisations. For more information, please contact Steph.Mann@op.ac.nz 

Locations

Depending on numbers, this course can be delivered in a range of locations including Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.

Entry requirements

• There are no prerequisites for entry but a sound understanding of the English language is required.
• People with disabilities are welcome but please contact us in advance to discuss your requirements as not all venues may be suitable. The safety of all of our participants and the horses we use is paramount. 

Course content

We will explore the following emergency rescue scenarios:

• Emergency situations including safe restraint of a horse
• Sideways, forward and backwards assistance of trapped horses
• Dealing with horses trapped in floats 
• Working with emergency services in the rescue situation. 

The course is not designed to teach participants how to replace emergency service crews or veterinary personnel but participants will leave with a skill set that can be helpful in a number of situations. 

Assessment

Participants are eligible for an Otago Polytechnic Certificate of Attendance at the end of the session, which includes an open book assessment.

For more information