IF you are considering upskilling or expanding your equine knowledge there are a series of different courses and informative evtns, run by CARFE, which might be just what you are looking for.

The accredited Level 3 Certificate in the Principles of Horse Care and Management is aimed at participants looking to gain a recognised qualification in horse care and management without having to attend third level education on a full-time basis.

The course will be held at the CARFE Greenmount Campus in Co Antrim on Tuesday evenings over 12 weeks. Each evening will run from 7.15pm until 9:30pm, beginning on September 17th and finishing on December 10th. The course costs £70, which includes assessment and registration fee.

Equine Health Series

The CAFRE Autumn 2019 Equine Health Series will take place over four evenings between September and November. The series aims to provide up to date, scientific advancements and research in each of the different subject areas being addressed.

Each evening will include expert speakers who will share their own knowledge and experience to assist equine professionals and horse owners to manage their horses in order to promote optimal health, welfare and performance.

All of the evenings will open at 7pm and each talk will begin at 7:15pm at the Ballinderry Inn, Moira. The series will be free to attend but participants must register online before each event as spaces are limited. Online registration will close 48 hours before each evening.

The opening evening on September 26 is titled ‘Healthy Backs’, and the speakers will be Stephanie Bradley and Esther Skelly-Smith. Jonathan Nunn FWCF is the main speaker at the second evening, ‘Barefoot versus Shod Foot’ on October 10th.

On October 24th, Rory O’Brien will deliver the talk on ‘Equine Therapy for Health, Recovery and Soundness. The final talk in the series will be on November 7th, titled ‘Foal and Neonatal Care’, where Sarah O’Dwyer will be the main speaker.

The evenings qualify as CPD events for BHS Instructors, HSI Coaches and Veterinary Council of Ireland registered veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.

Dissection day

CAFRE has organised a visit to the Irish Equine Centre (IEC) in Co Kildare for Thursday September 19th to show participants how the centre operates and to see horses on the dissection table. This visit has been organised following the success of a similar visit to the IEC last spring.

The visit will include a full tour of the IEC and a rare opportunity to meet the head of Pathology, Dr Ursula Fogarty.

It will also include a chance to examine key internal structures of the horse and understand how they relate to equine health, disease and performance.

More information for all of these events and courses is available on the CAFRE website.