Application
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to assess the nutritional requirements of horses used in in equestrian sport or recreational riding programs, and to formulate rations and monitor feeding regimes.
This unit applies to a range of organisations involved in equestrian sport, instructional and recreational riding programs. It applies to experienced senior staff who supervise the care of horses. This can include trainers, guides, trail bosses, instructors and coaches.
No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENTS | PERFORMANCECRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Assess nutritional requirements of sport or recreational horses. | 1.1. Identify and assess nutritional requirements for individual horse needs in consultation with relevant personnel. 1.2. Select feed for quality, nutritional and economic value to meet nutritional requirements of specific horses. |
2. | 2.1. Determine need to provide supplements to individual horses. 2.2. Identify, as required, supplements that contravene rules for horse purpose. 2.3. Assess suitability of supplements for individual horses and their workloads. |
3. | 3.1. Create rations and determine feeding regimes to meet individual horse needs, for the range of horses in care. 3.2. Use safe practices when feeding horses individually and in groups to avoid injury to self, others and horses. 3.3. Prepare feed and supplements, feed horses at appropriate times and monitor individual feeding regimes. 3.4. Monitor food rations and confirm they meet nutritional requirements of individual horses. 3.5. Monitor and evaluate the effects of supplements on the work performance of horses. 3.6. Provide paddocked horses with suitable pasture and supplementary feed according to their needs. 3.7. Document, for individual horses, eating behaviour, food intake and work level. 3.8. Adjust feeding regime in response to changing horse behaviour and needs. |
Foundation Skills
Foundation skills essential to performance in this unit, but not explicit in the performance criteria are listed here, along with a brief context statement. | |
SKILLS | DESCRIPTION |
Reading skills to: | interpret material describing complex nutritional ingredients of feed and supplements. |
Writing skills to: | use fundamental sentence structure to complete horse feeding, behavioural and nutritional records that require factual information. |
Numeracy skills to: | complete complex calculations to compare costs for different feed, supplements and quantities calculate and document individual quantities, measure and weigh feed and supplements for multiple horses. |
Sectors
Outdoor Recreation
Competency Field
Equine