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Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Prepare horses for work
   • Select, use and maintain appropriate personal protective equipment
   • Select, muster, or bring from paddock, and assess the suitability of the horse for the task
   • Catch and handle horses safely and humanely
   • Check horse’s health, soundness, and fitness level to ensure they are capable to complete the work required
   • Select, check, and maintain working equipment, if required
   • Groom horse prior to exercise or work
   • Fit working gear to individual horse
2. Educate horses for stock work
   • Identify, assess risks, and implement risk controls associated with horse riding and horse education
   • Assess the horse’s current level of education
   • Educate horse to calmly carry out required movements for working stock, including stops, turns, and rollbacks
   • Educate horse to work and control a mob of livestock as a whole
   • Educate horse to safely handle a single beast and to return it to the mob safely
   • Educate horse to separate a beast from a mob as required
   • Educate horse to calmly accept a stock whip being used by the rider as required by the workplace/enterprise
   • Educate horse to work with working dogs where required by enterprise
   • Utilise agreed emergency procedures when educating green horses in required safety movements (i.e. one rein stops)
3. Ride horses to carry out stock work
   • Interpret work program to determine work to be undertaken and, where necessary, confirm with management
   • Select horses for the task
   • Catch and handle horses safely and humanely
   • Practice and reinforce education of horse while carrying out routine stock work
   • Re-educate horse where necessary and correct any vices
   • Utilise agreed emergency procedures when educating green horses in required safety movements (i.e. one rein stops)
4. Provide post ride care and maintain saddlery and equipment
   • Remove gear and groom, wash and or clean horse as required
   • Water and feed horse in line with workplace policy
   • Release horse to appropriate enclosure, paddock, or yard
   • Check, clean, maintain, and store working gear
   • Repair working gear, as required
   • Apply enterprise biosecurity and sustainability policies
5. Monitor horse health and condition
   • Monitor horses as a part of daily routines to identify signs of ill health, injury, and poor condition
   • Muster or catch horses in need of attention, and report and record condition in line with enterprise procedures
   • Administer prescribed treatments for common ailments, under supervision of the veterinarian or manager
   • Safely check horse’s legs and feet, safely clean out feet, and correctly identify lameness and potential causes for lameness
   • Organise shoeing where required

Range Statement

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Performance Evidence

The candidate must be assessed on their ability to integrate and apply the performance requirements of this unit in a workplace setting. Performance must be demonstrated consistently over time and in a suitable range of contexts.

The candidate must provide evidence that they can:

identify work health and safety hazards and implement safe work procedures

use calm and humane methods to minimise undue stress and risk to horses, handlers, and livestock

handle and prepare horses for riding

monitor health and condition of horses

identify signs of ill health, injury, or poor condition and administer basic treatments

handle horse safely and humanely

ride educated and green horses

utilise agreed emergency procedures when riding

educate green uneducated horses in required safety movements? (i.e. one rein stops)

educate horses to:

calmly carry out required movements for working stock, including stops, turns, and rollbacks

work and control a mob of livestock as a whole

safely handle a single beast and to return it to the mob safely

separate a beast from a mob, as required

calmly accept a stockwhip being used by the rider as required by workplace

work with working dogs where required by enterprise

prepare the horse for work

ride and control the horse to check, muster, and move livestock as part of property operations while not compromising animal welfare

minimise stress on horses and livestock when checking, mustering and moving livestock

assess and monitor horse behaviour and take corrective action if required

carry out basic hoof care and cleaning

select and maintain saddlery and equipment

identify common horse ailments

develop a working relationship with the horse or horses in their care relevant to animal welfare requirements

handle horses for routine procedures

maintain saddlery and horse equipment

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Knowledge Evidence

The candidate must demonstrate knowledge of:

common horse genders, colours, markings, and other identifying features

horse movement and behavioural characteristics, and learning theories

livestock behaviour and how this is utilised to minimise stress for horse and livestock

relevant workplace procedures, industry standards, and guidelines for horse riding and riding safety (lunging riding in a yard before outside, one rein stops)

approaches to horse education for stock work and associated learning theories

describe basic care husbandry and management procedures for horses

common signs of unsoundness, injury disease, work stress, or other disorders in horses

basic anatomy and physiology of the horse

use of horses for workplace operations

care and maintenance of working gear

horse conformation and work readiness or level of education

horse handling and riding techniques

relevant legislation and enterprise procedures, animal health and welfare, and work health and safety

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