CAFRE students visit Horse Sport Ireland and Troytown

Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horse Management students have been on an educational visit to Kildare to supplement their 'Care of the Competition Horse' and 'Equine Rehabilitation and Therapy' modules which they undertake as part of their programme, writes Martina Dempsey, Lecturer, CAFRE Enniskillen Campus.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Mar 2017, 07:14 BST
Updated 9th May 2017, 19:04 BST
The operating table at TroytownThe operating table at Troytown
The operating table at Troytown

First stop was to the Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) headquarters in Naas, Co Kildare. Here the students were given a talk about the role of HSI within the sport horse industry in Ireland. Horse Sport Ireland highlighted how they got started as the Umbrella Body for sport horse organisations.

The talk also included a range of initiatives to help riders, breeders and owners. The “Jumping in the City” initiative was discussed and the introduction of the “New Heights” show jumping series which will replace the “Premier Series”.

The students gained a lot of further knowledge regarding the sport horse aspect of the industry, especially to do with background information which they may not be aware of when working on a yard.

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A stop to Thoroughbred Remedies Ireland at the Curragh is a must when in Kildare. This is one of the largest tack and equestrian clothing shops in Ireland.

At Troytown Greyabbey Equine Hospital the students were treated to a tour of their facilities. They got to see the Equine MRI Scanner, which is the only one in Ireland. They were also taken to the Neo-natal Intensive Care Units where they learnt about conditions of sick foals and the treatment they were receiving, along with meeting some of the patients and having their cases explained. Lastly, they got to see the bone scanning (scintigraphy). The students were extremely happy to have had the opportunity to see around the hospital.

CAFRE, Enniskillen campus would like to take the opportunity to thank Horse Sport Ireland and Troytown Greyabbey hospital for taking time out from their busy schedules to accommodate the students. The students felt they learnt a lot from each of the visits.

To find out more about the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horse Management course or other equine courses available at Enniskillen Campus, come along to the open day on Saturday, April 1, at noon or alternatively check out the website at www.cafre.ac.uk.