Equine Unit Guide

Horse and rider at Moulton.

The horses normally work up to three sessions per day over five days.

Equine Unit Guide

Introduction

This guide is designed to provide students and other visitors to the Pitsford Centre with details of the facilities available and an understanding of the role that the Equestrian Unit plays within the College.

The unit has sixty loose boxes, split into three yards, together with various areas of pasture land, split into individual paddocks.

The primary function of the Equestrian Unit is to provide for the education and training needs of students following Equestrian Courses. However, all resources are run on a commercial basis, as this is the best way of ensuring students receive sound experience, and sufficient funds are available to allow continual development of the facilities.

Although the College currently owns a range of horses, the majority are either on working livery or full-loan contracts.

The Equestrian Unit Manager oversees the unit on a day-to-day basis, with the help of an Assistant Manager. There is also a full time yard supervisor on the yard, who is working towards British Horse Society qualifications in addition to carrying out his/her stable duties.

Equine Unit

Location: The Pitsford Centre, Pitsford Road, Moulton

New Stable Block

This new block of 34 stables is primarily for educational use. The stables incorporate state-of-the-art bedding technology and are approximately 3.6m x 3.6m. Some stables have equimat rubber flooring and automatic water drinkers.

Reynolds Yard

The Reynolds courtyard is the original wooden yard from the former stud farm. The twelve loose boxes are large in size, seven have permanent rubber flooring. This yard has a large feed store, a rug room and a large tack room.

Harlow Yard

The Harlow yard is made up of fourteen boxes. These boxes vary in size and are laid out in two rows that face one another. The yard has a barn for the storage of straw and hay together with a store room.

Horse Information

The horses normally work up to three sessions a Logo: British Horse Society Approved Livery Yard. day over five days. These sessions can be ridden, lungeing or loose schooling exercise, depending on the students' educational needs and the horse's exercise requirements. The full-loan horses and the College-owned horses are also used for stable management practical classes, when students learn horse husbandry skills such as bandaging, plaiting and clipping.

The college offers a wide range of livery options to students for their horses, ranging from DIY to working and full livery.

Equestrian Exercise Facilities

At the end of the Harlow yard is a horse walker. This provides a safe environment for exercising up to five horses at a time.

Riding Arenas

The unit has both indoor and outdoor riding arenas. Students use these during practical activities and they are also available for competitions and commercial hire.

The outdoor arena consists of two arenas side-by-side. One measures 20m x 60m, and the other 20m x 40m. The outdoor arena has a rubber crumb surface and is mainly used as a warm up arena due to its size. It is enclosed, but there is access to the neighbouring paddock and the cross-country course.

An additional outdoor arena is planned for 2009-2010 academic year. This will provide another riding arena adjacent to the north entrance of the indoor riding arena.

Indoor Riding Arena

Completed in September 2006, this is a state-ofthe- art indoor riding school. The wax-based sand surface provides a dust free environment all year round, and measures 60m x 40m. It incorporates a viewing area for 246 spectators. The building, which is twice the size of the College's original indoor school, hosts two secure tack rooms, feed room and store, together with the new stable block - 6 at the front and 28 at the rear. A purpose built parking facility for horseboxes is available adjacent to the riding school.

Cross Country Facilities

The Pitsford cross-country course consists of twentynine varied jumps. These range from coffins and palisades, to log jumps and the bank. The bank itself has eight different jumping options. The heights range from two to four feet and can be linked to form a number of different tracks.

Dressage Academy

Launched in 2007, Moulton College boasts its own Dressage Academy. This allows 16 hand picked students who show a keen interest, flair and dedication to dressage, to benefit from regular tuition from a top local trainer. Along with the lessons, the students regularly compete in affiliated and unaffiliated competitions held at the college.

Student Yard Duties

As part of a skills development programme, students complete morning and evening duties. They follow a duty rota which also includes working full days at the weekend. They are allocated between two and three horses each, depending on the horses available and the individual student's ability.

Students are then responsible for the care of their allocated horses throughout the week. They are supervised and assessed by the Commercial Unit team, who assist the students with their employability skills.

Students are graded on their work, demonstrating their animal welfare, grooming and horse care skills, as well as how they work as a team, show initiative and make decisions.

Students are also involved in the planning and running of shows and events at the Equestrian centre. These events include Affiliated Dressage, Show Jumping, and Lectures/Demonstrations involving top names from the equine industry.

Estate Bridleway

Completed in 2007, this is a trail that connects the Pitsford site with the cross-country course at South Lodge.

It meanders around the college estate for approximately five miles. Access is available only to students and to owners who have horses on livery at the college.

Future Plans

Moulton College has been chosen as one of the official pre-games training venues for the 2012 Olympics in the sports of Equestrian, Fencing and Hockey. For the Paralympics it has been awarded the sports of Boccia, Goalball and Equestrian. The status was granted after a very rigourous application process held nationally over a period of 18 months from a wide range of venues. The criteria for selection was based upon the quality of facilities, transport networks, security and general infrastructure including residential and catering capacities.