Course News October 5th - 11th 2009
First Year Trainees
Having experienced the excitement of Sea The Stars winning the Arc, it was back to their placements at Kildangan Stud for the trainees on Monday morning, where the trainees continue to assist with breaking yearlings. On Monday afternoon David O’Connell gave a talk to the group in the training room about Pasture and Soil Management for Horses. They discussed the importance of pasture management and how to maximise a farm’s potential. This was followed by a talk and demonstration on Equine Dentistry with Brian Coonan. They learned about dental problems in horses and the relevance of dentistry to overall health in horses.
On Tuesday the trainees had a lecture with Ursula Fogarty MRCVS on Equine Disease Pathology at the Irish Equine Centre. The material covered in the lecture was beneficial in revising for their upcoming Anatomy, Physiology and Reproduction exam and they also got an insight into the post mortem procedure. On Wednesday afternoon the trainees recorded some video to provide evidence for their NVQ Level 3 Portfolios. The next day they had a lecture with Meta Osborne MRCVS titled, “Can your vet improve your bloodstock bottom line?”. Meta introduced the Herd Health Management concept and they talked about the benefits of having a good relationship with your vet and how good horse husbandry can help reduce vet bills.
On Friday afternoon the trainees sat their much anticipated final exam of the Equine Anatomy, Physiology and Repoduction UCD module at Kildangan Stud.
Second Year Trainees
On Monday the second year trainees paid a visit to Ellerston Station in the Hunter Valley. Here they met with Alan Simpson MRCVS, who gave them an interesing insight into embryo transfer and artificial insemination. They enjoyed seeing the polo facilities and appreciated the opportunity to visit an equine facility outside of the thoroughbred industry.
For the remainder of the week the trainees continued their practical training rotations at Darley Kelvinside and Darley Woodlands. This week Chance and Gary were based at the foaling unit in Kelvinside, with Bill reporting for night watch duty. Melanie learned about cattle farming procedures with the farm team and Charlie spent time with the Nominations team in the office. Billy gained experience in the stallion complex learning about the covering procedure while PJ and Sorrel worked with mares and foals in Darley Woodlands.