With up to 30 school horses trained in everything from dressage and eventing through to thoroughbreds in racing condition, as well as mechanical horses, you’ll learn how to handle a horse by practical experience.
TAFE NSW Equine Academy
Learn the hands-on skills you need to work in the horse industry.
The award-winning Equine Academy was formed at Richmond in 2010, with the aim to increase the safety, sustainability and professionalism of the equine industry through training. TAFE NSW courses in this area can prepare you for careers such as stablehand, groom, trackrider, farrier or other exciting job prospects in this fast moving industry. So whether you're just saddling up for your horse industry career, want to gain more qualifications, add to your previous experience, or simply want to broaden your horizons, TAFE NSW offers a wide variety of courses at a number of levels to suit you.
Why TAFE NSW Equine Academy?
The NSW Thoroughbred Racing industry contributes significantly to the economy of New South Wales. It is one of the state’s major employers, with over 16,000 full-time employees, and since the formation of the Academy, the safety standards across the industry have lifted.
Award winning
Industry Collaboration Award winner, Australian Training Awards.
Strong connections to industry and employers
The Equine Academy works hand in hand with the racing, performance and farrier industries.
Industry professionals
Teaching staff are still active in their professional fields, with all the latest knowledge, techniques and industry connections.
Features
- Indoor dressage arena
- Outdoor sand arena
- Farrier workshop with 12 forges
- 600m sand exercise track
Services
- On the job training & traineeships
- Up to 30 horses & mechanical horses to suit all riding abilities
- Simulated workplace at Richmond College for all courses, hands-on practical classes to get students job ready
Showcase
Real world experience
World class learning facilities
The Equine Academy features an indoor dressage arena, outdoor sand arena, tie up bays, undercover yards, pasture improved paddocks, a 600m sand exercise track, 12 farrier’s forges and fully equipped workshop, a tack and feed room, classrooms and stables.
Industry relationships
The Equine Academy maintain strong relationships with major racing stables such as Godolphin, Chris Waller Racing and Gai Waterhouse, as well as links with Thoroughbred Industry Careers, the Master Farriers Association and Performance Horse stables such as Denise Rogan Dressage.
Expert mentors
Your teachers are passionate horse people, having been involved in every aspect of the farrier, racing and equestrian industries for many years. As well, many guest experts bring the best of their knowledge and expertise into the classrooms.
The nationally accredited Certificate II in Racing Industry will put you on track to a career in the horse racing industry. Learn the skills you need to safely handle horses during feeding, grooming and exercising, and start your career in breeding, training or racing stables.
This course will have you ready for a career in the exciting racing industry. As well as providing a nationally recognised qualification and strong industry links, this course will teach you how to:
- Exercise and ride horses
- Provide first aid to horses
- Clean and muck out stables
- Maintain equipment such as horse riding tack
- Manage early morning starts, and
- A strong start to your equine studies
If you love horses and want a career as a groom or stablehand in a performance horse stable appeals to you, then the Certificate III in Performance Horse is the right course for you. Be taught by industry experts in world-class facilities as you learn practical skills that employers in this industry demand, such as:
- How to apply safe-handling skills when working in the equine industry
- How to implement risk-management procedures
- How to exercise performance horses (ridden and non-ridden)
- How to maintain the health and welfare of performance horses
- How to prevent and treat equine injury and disease
- How to determine nutritional requirements of horses
- How to implement biosecurity procedures
The nationally accredited Certificate III in Racing (Stablehand) will ensure you are a front runner in the racing industry. Take your love of horses and early morning starts and learn to manage the daily operations of a harness or thoroughbred racing stable.
Through theoretical and practical course work, you will learn to:
- Understand how the horse racing industry operates
- Effectively treat and train animals
- Groom and handle horses and supervise others to groom and handle horses
- Implement horse feeding programs
- Load horses onto floats and transport them to the racetracks
- Implement fitness regimes for horses
- Implement stable operations
This qualification reflects the role of trackriders, to exercise thoroughbred horses on the instruction of a trainer in the racing industry.
Trackriders require high level riding skills to exercise racehorses at various paces. They must be able to:
- Interpret and implement trainers instructions
- Communicate information about racehorse fitness and performance accurately
- Work independently with limited supervision
This qualification is required for industry licensing and registration in some states and territories.
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care – a very important factor in a horse’s health. This nationally recognised farriery course will help you develop the skills to perform individual horse hoof care, ranging from a standard trim or shoeing to more complicated corrective measures.
A farrier combines skills traditionally associated with blacksmiths with veterinarian-related skills in equine anatomy. Our equine-industry expert teachers will ensure you gain the confidence to:
- Handle horses safely
- Trim hooves
- Shoe horses with various faults and defects from moderate to severe
- Undertake welding
- Establish hoof care, trimming and shoeing plans
- Use handheld tools and power tools
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many skills needed to be a horse trainer. Successful horse trainers need to have a good knowledge of a horse’s anatomy and behaviour, as well as an understanding of a horse’s nutritional needs, especially in relation to improving performance. A horse trainer also needs good horse-handling skills, knowledge of how to train a racehorse as well as very good understanding of the horse racing industry, including its rules and procedures.
There are many different jobs in the equine industry, but firstly: exactly what is the equine industry? The equine industry is any economic activity associated with horses, be it raising, rearing, training or racing horses. As such, there are a wide variety of jobs available within the industry, such as:
- Veterinarian
- Veterinary Nurse/Technician
- Farrier
- Breeding Manager
- Racehorse Trainer
- Jockey/Track Rider
- Stable Hand/Groom
A love of horses is handy, but in addition a successful horse trainer needs skills such as:
- Being a great judge of horse talent, allowing yourself to assess the horses under your care and to get the very best out of their talent
- Great communication skills, both with people and horses
- A very good to excellent understanding of racing strategy, as – along with the jockey – the trainer is fundamental in determining how to beat the other horses in a race
For many people, their dream career is working with horses. You can make your living training, coaching or riding horses, or else become a manager of a breeding or stable facility. But how do you break into this highly competitive and desirable industry?
It depends on what job you’re after. Most trainers have apprenticed with an experienced trainer to learn the ins and outs of the job and the industry. Whereas if you want to be a manager of a facility, then some business and/or management studies can help. Whichever area you’re interested in, though, it is your knowledge that is going to set you apart from other eager job hunters.