Saddle Up to Learn the Fundamentals of Equine Education
Using the positive reinforcement training method (PRT) has been proven to be one of the most effective ways to teach horses of any age discipline. Through the use of a marker signal, the trainer can get a head start on some trained behaviors, which ordinarily aren’t taught to a horse until they are under saddle.
Positive reinforcement training is just one of the equine education programs offered through ACC Continuing Education Workforce Development. Classes covering many fundamental aspects of horse care and maintenance are offered including:
- Horse psychology
- Horse care including dental and feeding needs
- Buying and selling horses
- Veterinary needs and lameness
Horses are provided for hands-on demonstrations and all of the ACC equine education classes are held on-site at Brigadoon Farm in Alvin or various local veterinary clinics around the area.
Equine Education Classes
The Psychology of the Horse
Held at Brigadoon Farm in Alvin
This session discusses the psychology of the horse and offers demonstrations on how body language can affect the horse’s behavior as well as how to work with basic horse instincts.
Dental Needs of the Horse
Held at Veterinary Clinic, 4603 Dana Lynn in Pearland
Focusing on the relationship between the horse’s teeth to health and performance this session discusses on the dental needs of the horse. The latest techniques in working on a horse’s teeth will be demonstrated using a live horse.
Using Positive Reinforcements Methods to Train Your Horse:
Overviews/Clinic
Held at Brigadoon Farm in Alvin
Positive reinforcement training (PRT) is a proven method for teaching horses of any age or discipline to learn the same things they would learn through traditional training. Through the use of a marker signal, the trainer can get a head start on some trained behaviors, which ordinarily aren’t taught to a horse until they are under a saddle. In addition, PRT can be used to enhance, reinforce or retrain horses that have already been trained through traditional methods. This class explores PRT and all equine disciplines are welcome to attend. No experience with horse training is necessary to benefit from this session. Horses will be provided by the facility and are part of the registration fee.
Performance Horse Judging Clinic
Held at Brigadoon Farm in Alvin
This clinic focuses on methods used to judge performance horses. Though there is a wide range of performance horse events, there is a common core of basic maneuvers, which all performance horses must have in order to compete successfully. Participants will be given a set of guidelines and will then be asked to use these guidelines to judge several different types of performance horses. The instructor is an NRHA and IPHDA certified judge.
Performance Horse Training Class
Held at Brigadoon Farm in Alvin
This clinic focuses on the notion that every rider is a trainer. Participants will be shown a variety of ways for teaching, reinforcing and extending the basics which all performance horses need. The sessions will be individualized so that beginning, intermediate and advanced horses and/or riders will work on skills appropriate to their levels.
Note: Participants may bring in their own horses for this session. All horses hauled into the clinic need to have proof of a current Coggins and vaccination record.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Mobile Veterinarian
Held at Brigadoon Farm in Alvin
This session discusses the types of services which can be provided by a mobile veterinarian. The focus of the class will be on preventive care including vaccines and emergency care including first aid. The program will include time for a question/answer session.
Identifying Lameness in Horses
Held at Veterinary Clinic, 3417 Avenue J in Santa Fe.
This session demonstrates how to identify and diagnose various types of lameness in horses. Causes, treatments and prognoses for different types of lameness will be discussed and demonstrations with live horse will be provided.
Fundamentals of Nutrition: How to Feed Your Horse Economically and Effectively
Held at Brigadoon Farm in Alvin
This session discusses how horses of various ages and levels of riding need different types of nutrition. Topics will include the basics of horse nutrition, reading labels on horse feed and selecting feed which is both economical and effective.
Selling and Exporting Your Horse Overseas
Held at Brigadoon Farm in Alvin
Topics in this session include ways to market your horse and criteria for selecting an exporter as well as other strategies for selling your horse overseas.
Fundamentals of Horse Care
Held at various sites
This course will focus on the all of the practical aspects of horse management including teeth, lameness, nutrition and veterinary services.
Note: Participants who enroll in this course will save $5.00 by registering for this one-course, rather than registering for each of the four courses which are also offered individually. (This includes the four courses described above: dentistry, lameness, nutrition and mobile veterinarian.)
Emergency Management of Equine Health Care Series
This series will focus on how the horse owner can avoid creating health problems with their horse during a natural disaster such as a hurricane.
Also includes the following topics:
- Emergency care of the horse
- Learn when to call the veterinarian
- Normal vital signs of the horse
- Lacerations, lameness, internal problems
- First aid kits
- Medical consent to treatment forms
Emergency Management of Equine Health Care Series: Colic
This course is a two-session course which will focus on traditional emergency care of the colicing horse. The first session will center on when to call the veterinarian and what to do before they arrive. Topics such as the normal vital signs of the horse and how they relate to colic will be discussed and/or demonstrated. Colic causes and treatments will be discussed by an equine veterinarian.
The second session will focus on non-traditional treatment of the colicing horse. Treatments such as massage therapy, acupuncture, and herbal treatments will be demonstrated.
Evaluating the Performance Series: Western Pleasure & Reining
This "hands-on" series will discuss and demonstrate criteria used to evaluate various types of performance horses.
Topics include:
- Breed/performance criteria
- Basic anatomy and its relation to function
- Breed type and characteristics
- Standards for specific performance class
Evaluating the Performance Horse Series: Focus on Trail Events
This hands-on series will discuss and demonstrate criteria used to evaluate various types of performance trail horses. The sessions will focus on guidelines including breed/performance criteria, basic anatomy and its relation to function, breed type and characteristics and standards for the specific performance class featured.
The course will consist of one session on competitive trail riding and one session on competitive endurance riding. Competitive trail riding has aspects that are different from endurance riding such as the dress requirement, judged obstacles and minimum as well as maximum times. Endurance has a maximum time limit (no minimum time limit) and the only judging is the horse’s condition at vet checks during the ride. The sanctioning organization for Endurance is AERC, there are several sanctioning organizations for judged trail events such as NATRC, ECTRA, ACTHA, EXCA.
The second class in the series will focus on the competitive endurance horse and will be taught by Darolyn Butler, an internationally known competitive endurance rider. Her many accomplishments include competing in the Presidents Millennium Cup, the World Cup, being a member of USET’s Team at the World Championship in France, and being a member of the Silver Medal winning team at the Pan American Championship.
Evaluating the Performance Horse Series: Focus on Selecting a Horse
This hands-on series will discuss and demonstrate criteria used to evaluate various types of performance horses. The sessions will focus on guidelines including breed/performance criteria, basic anatomy and its relation to function, breed type and characteristics, and standards for the specific performance class featured.
The first session in this series will focus on criteria used in pre-purchase exams to make certain the horse to be purchased is suitable to the task for which it is being selected.
The second session in the series will focus on criteria to use when purchasing a horse from a rescue facility, auction, or an individual.
Evaluating the Performance Series: Dressage & Gaited Horse
This two-session series will focus on guidelines such as breed performance criteria;basic anatomy and its relation to function; breed type and characteristics; and standards for the specific performance class featured.
Session one will focus on the dressage horse and session two will focus on the gaited horse.
The Secure Seat Riding Clinic
The Secure Seat (R) Clinic will focus on attaining and maintaining a secure, soft balanced seat. Secure Seat (R) is a systematic, skill-driven method of teaching or learning riding that develops the balanced seat in a short time.
Secure Seat (R) is the only riding instruction method that has appeared in academic, peer-reviewed journal. Riders will be able to take the exercises learned in the clinic and use them to master the balanced seat on their own. All riding disciplines are welcome.
Students will bring their own horses with current shot record and proof of negative coggins. No stallions.
Routine Management of Equine Health Care Series
The first session in this series will focus on a routine vaccination and worming program for horses in the Gulf Coast region. The advantages and disadvantages of the different vaccines and wormers will be demonstrated. Topics such as administering intravenous and intramuscular shots and assessing vital signs will be demonstrated. Participants will be given an opportunity to practice assessing vital signs such as the pulse, temperature, respiration, gut sounds, hydration and capillary refill time.
The second session in this series will overview common ailments in the horse created by inadequate dental care. Topics will include anatomy of the horse's mouth at various ages and why proper dental care is needed for such things as relieving pain, proper bite and to maintain the health and longevity of the horse.
Management of Equine Nutrition Series
Topics of this course include:
- Different types of nutrition for various ages and levels
- Basics of horse nutrition
- Understanding horse feed labels and selecting economical and effective feed
- Basic pasture management skills and pasture planning for horse owners
- Identifying different types of soils and submitting for analysis
- Choosing types of irrigation and fertilizers
- Utilizing weed control and improving grazing management
Clicker Training Foundation Lessons
This hands-on clinic covers foundation ground working exercises including backing, head lowering (calm down cue), leading and ground tying. Participants will learn how to humanely teach horses to respect the handler's space and stand for grooming and other manipulations. The clinic also provides an introduction to clicker training and safe and effective use of positive reinforcement for horses.
Clicker training is a proven method for teaching horses of any age or discipline to learn the same behaviors they would learn through traditional training but in a more humane, science based manner. All equine disciplines are welcome and no experience with horse training is necessary to benefit from this clinic.
Space is limited to 15 participants so early registration is encouraged. Horses used in this clinic will be selected by the clinic organizer and are part of the registration fee.
Clicker Clinic: Intermediate Level - Rider
This hands-on clinic carries the foundation clicker lessons into riding. The focus will be on how traditional horse training methods of pressure and release of pressure translate into training a horse with a clicker. Clicker training is a proven method for teaching horses of any age or discipline to learn the same behaviors they would learn through traditional training but in a more humane, science-based manner. All equine disciplines are welcome and participants need not be professional horse trainers to benefit from this clinic. Both the horse and the rider should already be familiar with clicker training. Participants should either have completed a previous clicker clinic taught by Alexandra Kurland or demonstrate needed pre-requisite knowledge to the ACC Director of Equine Studies. Space is limited to 6 riders and 6 non-riders, so early registration is encouraged.
The course begins with a 7-10 course overview on Friday evening, followed by a hands-on lab, Saturday from 9-4, Sunday from 9-4. and Monday from 9-4. All course sessions will be held at Brigadoon Farm in Alvin, Texas. All horses must have a current shot record and proof of a current negative coggins.
This course will be taught by Alexandra Kurland, author of multiple best selling books and videos on clicker training horses. She is an internationally recognized speaker and clinician.
Clicker Clinic: Intermediate Level - Non-rider
This hands-on clinic carries the foundation clicker lessons into riding. The focus will be on how traditional horse training methods of pressure and release of pressure translate into training a horse with a clicker. Clicker training is a proven method for teaching horses of any age or discipline to learn the same behaviors they would learn through traditional training but in a more humane, science-based manner. All equine disciplines are welcome and participants need not be professional horse trainers to benefit from this clinic. Both the horse and the rider should already be familiar with clicker training. Participants should either have completed a previous clicker clinic taught by Alexandra Kurland or demonstrate needed pre-requisite knowledge to the ACC Director of Equine Studies. Space is limited to 6 riders and 9 non-riders,so early registration is encouraged.
The course begins with a 7-10 course overview on Friday evening, followed by a hands-on lab, Saturday from 9-4, Sunday from 9-4. and Monday from 9-4. All course sessions will be held at Brigadoon Farm in Alvin, Texas. All horses must have a current shot record and proof of a current negative coggins. No stallions.
This course will be taught by Alexandra Kurland, author of multiple best selling books and videos on clicker training horses. She is an internationally recognized speaker and clinician.
Evaluating Performance Horse Series: Clicker Training the Performance Horse
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To learn more about this ACC program, email Martha Moore at mmoore@alvincollege.edu
