Equine and Horse Care Courses
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Inside the stables at Broomfield Hall
Would you love a job where you can work with horses every day? Our excellent equine courses could see you riding high in a rewarding role.
Equine industry
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There's no denying the appeal of horses in the UK. We have approximately 900,000 horses and ponies, 720,000 horse owners and some two million riders. More than £4 billion is spent on equestrianism each year.
In Derbyshire the equine industry is particularly strong, with the local countryside offering exciting opportunities for individuals with a genuine interest in horses and their welfare.
There are more than 1,500 equine-related businesses in the East Midlands, employing over 2,700 people.
Many are small enterprises, meaning you'll get to grips with all aspects of the business, working as part of a dedicated team while indulging your love of the great outdoors.
Equine careers
Though many equine enthusiasts are keen to work as grooms, riding instructors and yard managers - or to ride to glory in prestigious competitions - there are plenty of career options away from the stables.
With the right qualifications, you could specialise as an equine nutritionist, behaviourist or dentist.
Or you could be on to a winner with a career in horse racing, the country's second biggest sport after football.
Equine courses
With a horse care course at Derby College, you will gain the ideal foundation of knowledge, skills and work experience to progress your equine career.
From riding practice to horse behaviour, competition grooming to horse rehabilitation and therapy, you'll find every day brings a different challenge.
We offer a Diploma in Horse Care and an Extended Diploma in Horse Management to cater for students with different levels of experience and there are options to gain British Horse Society (BHS) qualifications.
The latest additions to our course portfolio are Equine Apprenticeships, enabling you to earn while you learn.
All Horse Care courses offer a practical hands-on experience, with special sessions and clinics by professional riders and experts such as vets, physiotherapists and saddlers.
There are also plenty of opportunities to take part in competitions at inter-college level as well as events such as dressage shows.
The courses also include transferable skills employers are looking for, such as team working, time management and communication.
While many of our students go straight into the industry, a significant number decide to take their ambitions to university level, with Foundation or Honours degrees in subjects such as equine science.
Supporting you all the way will be our outstanding team of highly-qualified staff who have wide-ranging experience in the industry, including international eventing, dressage and equine business management.
Equine at Derby College
Studying at Derby College will place you right at the heart of the local equine community. Based at our magnificent Broomfield Hall campus, our Equine Centre is a genuine focal point for horse enthusiasts and is run as a commercial yard.
An approved BHS riding establishment, it includes 28 stables, a 40m by 40m menage and a horse walker. Plans are in place for a 60m by 30m indoor school to improve the learning environment further still.
These facilities are so impressive that they are regularly hired by industry professionals who also take advantage of the extensive specialist short courses which the team delivers.
Studying at Derby College meant throwing myself into the course whole-heartedly. The experience and confidence in my skills that this gave me meant that since leaving I have taken on two wholly different careers. At College I was told by a lecturer "If you want to change your life, do it. Do it now but do it 100 per cent" and – guess what – I did!"
