BSc (Hons) Equine Science (with Foundation Year)

Transferable skills are an asset in the careers world. In this module, you’ll be introduced to academic practice and professional skills that will aid you in your career progression. These will include the soft skills of discussion, debate, seminar, and presenting, alongside science writing, researching and statistics. You’ll also go into detail on the use of Microsoft packages such as Word Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher. Statistical programmes such as MiniTab will also be covered.

You'll equip yourself with biological knowledge of the horse, taking a close-up look at the anatomy and physiology. You’ll analyse cell and biochemical reactions that sustain life, plus the functioning and anatomy of the body’s organs and their interactions with each other. In addition, you’ll look at the evolution of the horse and adaptations to the structural systems, exploring the unique athleticism of the equine stature.

These basic foundational concepts will form the building blocks of your understanding of some of the fastest growing areas in the equine field, including reproductive physiology, exercise physiology and nutrition. You’ll also delve into the welfare and performance of the horse at all levels, including daily horse husbandry, exercise programmes and veterinary support.

Furthermore, you’ll participate in lab work, such as in preparation of tissue specimens for histological (entire tissue), cytological (single cell) observations, and cadaver (deceased) specimens.

There has been no better time to investigate the impact of the equine business trade. The equine industry generates significant revenue for global economies. In this module, you’ll look at the external and competitive environment of business and the common frameworks for analysing and evaluating the impact of such on both individual businesses and industries. You’ll also gain an insight into the internal functionings of business (marketing, human resource management, and finance), followed by an exploration of the impact of globalisation and the increasing pace of change.

In this module, you'll explore the history and development of the modern equine and Thoroughbred industries in their national and international context. You'll examine how equestrianism has developed and grown internationally, and how it is important to the economies of many countries. You’ll learn how the industries are administered, operated and financed, and you’ll examine the present industry status within a diverse range of cultures. You’ll cover business supported by equestrianism, associated industries and the international trade in Thoroughbred bloodstock.

Do you ever wonder what a horse is thinking? In this module, you can get a step closer to understanding how a horse’s brain functions. You’ll gain an insight into evolution, underpinning the aspects of the horse’s flight response and how it is used/suppressed in domestic situations. You’ll discover the theory behind how horses remember things and create memories. You’ll also investigate the differentiation between breed characteristics, the varied disciplines that horses are involved in, and how learning is differentiated for various disciplines that horses are involved in. Your assessment will consist of multiple choice questions (MCQ), a short presentation and a report.

In order to maintain a healthy horse who is capable of competitive success, you’ll need knowledge of the equine immunity pathways, the invading pathogens, wounds and emergency first aid. In this module, you’ll learn about just that. You’ll acquire the skills to employ suitable treatment regimes using your scientific knowledge and your ability to adapt to new situations. Identifying a horse for lameness and applying appropriate first aid is an essential part of handling and working in the industry. You’ll gain theoretical knowledge of anatomical, physiological, and biochemical processes of health, which will bolster your foundational understanding for later modules.

You’ll get to grips with research concepts used within Equine Science, enabling you to develop a critical approach to research, and the ability to explore associated philosophical, methodological, analytical, statistical and ethical issues. You’ll equip yourself with the fundamental concepts and practices that underpin the research process including research design, literature critique and critical analysis of research. You’ll be given the opportunity to develop your own research proposal, developing your abilities to engage with literature in a critical and analytical manner.

On completion of this module, you'll have a good understanding of the importance of soil and grass science in relation to the effective management of land for horses, and how grassland management affects equine health and performance. You’ll also investigate specific areas of management that are important in ensuring the success of a wide range of equine enterprises, with a particular emphasis on human resources. You’ll also consider the legislative and regulatory frameworks under which equine enterprises operate.

Get in the know on how to maintain a horse at optimum health and performance. In this module you’ll gain a full insight into the scientific principles underlying health and disease in the horse. You’ll also develop a detailed knowledge of relevant veterinary techniques used in the assessment, diagnosis, and management of equine disease. On completion of this module, you’ll be able to assess and evaluate the role of the veterinary surgeon in the diagnosis of ill health/injury and treatment of disease in the horse.

What are the key nutritional elements that a horse needs to remain at optimum health? In this informative module you'll gain an in-depth knowledge of the metabolic processes that occur in a horses’s body. This will help you identify nutritional needs for improving and maintaining the performance of the horse. You'll also learn how to adapt and apply your knowledge to optimise the feeding regimes of horses for their long-term success.

You'll identify the principles relating to the correct feeding of the horse, and broaden your knowledge of the metabolic events taking place within the horse’s body to maximise its competitive success. You'll hone your theoretical knowledge of anatomical, physiological, and biochemical processes of digestion. You'll also gain an appreciation of the different nutritional requirements for the various stages of training to help a horse achieve optimum performance.

In this module, you’ll develop your understanding of exercise physiology by applying various principles and knowledge of exercise physiology to field and laboratory settings.

You’ll gain experience in conducting accurate assessments of physical fitness and physiological response, both as a subject and as a practitioner, utilising equipment and skills implemented in a range of contemporary occupational settings.

You’ll complete twenty-two hours of lectures and eighteen hours of practicals (laboratory and field based). Alongside this, you’ll be encouraged to engage with broad aspects of data collection and interpretation to support your coursework assessment, while developing relevant practical skills in the field. You’ll be introduced to modern technological advances and will learn standard assessment techniques in exercise and sport physiology.

During this module you will Immerse yourself within the evidence-based understanding of the welfare of horses, and the symbiotic relationship between humans and horses. You'll expand your knowledge on how horses think and behave, in terms of what motivates them, and how welfare can play an important role in both the performance horse industry and the leisure horse world. You'll equip yourself with the latest guidelines on equine regulations in the UK so you can confidently apply your skills in the real-world.

In this module, you’ll turn your hand to financial management tools, human resources management, and marketing. These skills will go towards managing the complex and multifaceted job of planning events. You’ll also learn how to run an effective event safely, whether it be indoors or outdoors at racecourses.

Whether your interest lies in Thoroughbred or sport horse, a solid understanding of genetics and the law of inheritance is absolutely essential to raise sound and competitive horses. You’ll firstly investigate mendelian genetics and its application in the equine industry. This will be followed by qualitative and quantitative genetics, where you'll examine how the Hardy Weinberg equilibrium can be related to the equine population.

You’ll study techniques in shortlisting procedures for competition purposes, taking into consideration breed societies, including how and why they differ. You’ll take a close look at chromosomal and genetic abnormalities in order to minimise the development of inherited defects, while also analysing research.

On completion of this module, you’ll have gained the skills to complement careers within breeding, whether as stud managers, bloodstock agents, or pedigree researchers.

As part of this placement module, you’ll have the opportunity to experience the real working environment and what it is like within a Thoroughbred or performance horse-focussed organisation. Your placement will last a minimum of 30 weeks and will give you ample time to hone your skills in the field. You’ll build on and practice the knowledge, understanding, skills and competencies acquired during your first two years of the course, developing new skills along the way. Your placement year is designed to be a formative process, where you’ll get the chance to reflect on your personal development, and develop your strengths and weaknesses.

This will be your opportunity to produce an individual project, based on your degree subject. You’ll undertake a sustained scientific enquiry whereby your associated practical work may be conducted in a research laboratory or in the field, depending on the nature of your project.

This module will give you an insight into the continuously evolving equine industry and the ethical considerations involved in relation to the welfare of the domestic horse. You’ll turn your attention to the various components of the subject area, including nutrition, genetics, behaviour, veterinary medicine, and more. You'll also identify contemporary ethical issues as part of your dissertation project.

Can you identify a horse that is lame and in need of emergency first aid? This module will teach you how to spot the key signs in order to apply the correct care and suitable treatment regimes to nurse a horse back to full health. You’ll gain an essential in-depth knowledge of the immunity pathways, invading pathogens, wounds and emergency first aid in order to effectively administer the required care. You’ll also consider the principles around seats of ailments and conformation with regards to horse health, lameness, and preventative techniques.

By the end of this module, you will have acquired theoretical knowledge of anatomical, physiological, and biochemical processes of health, which will prepare you for further modules.

You’ll explore preventative health and welfare strategies within animal populations, equipping you with the understanding of how disease prevention strategies are developed and disease surveillance procedures are implemented.

You’ll gain knowledge about infectious diseases and immunity while applying this knowledge to preventing and controlling outbreaks within the settings of:

• livery yards
• stud farms
• farms
• catteries
• kennels
• shelters
• rescue centres
• animal collections
• breeding establishments
• veterinary practices.

Zoonotic diseases is another topic that you’ll explore, while considering the importance of reducing risks to human health.

You’ll get the opportunity to carry out diagnostic techniques and devise your own disease preventative strategies. By the end of this module, you'll be equipped with skills for future managerial roles overseeing the health and welfare of animal populations.

In this module, you’ll gain a thorough understanding of the assessment and treatment of behavioural issues within Equestrian Science. You’ll diagnose, develop and execute retraining schedules to correct behavioural imbalance. You’ll also learn to identify when other equestrian professional help is needed, where regulations come into play, and be able to assess the elements and effects of a variety of training methods and equipment. You’ll also complement your Year 2 study by examining recent research in Equitation Science.

This module will provide you with an in-depth examination of the resources required, management of and procedures involved in training, and developing and improving the performance of horses. You'll learn to critique and develop an understanding of the current practices and principles of training horses and you'll investigate the equipment and facilities available for training horses. You'll also discuss financing, and you'll examine any current financial issues within the industry.

Specialist techniques of developing and improving performance will be investigated and evaluated on this module. These include the modern role of sports psychology, and the use of various para-practitioners such as

• osteopaths
• physiotherapists
• and bitting experts.

You'll look at various national and international governing bodies connected with development of the sport and you'll expore their influence in the development of equestrian sport.

You'll analyse the research relevant to the specific area of the industry that was your base for your placement and apply it to industry practice and professional development. You'll be encouraged to identify areas of industry practice unsupported by research and consider how you can improve your understanding of these areas. You'll develop your reflective skills which are key for your career development and this module provides the skills to reflect both on the practical work experience and your continuing professional development. Also as part of the module you'll practice career management skills by reflecting on your experiences and future aspirations. These are integral elements required to enhance your overall employability.

You’ll improve your understanding of land and resources management in this fascinating module which examines the choice, construction and use of a variety of work surfaces for the athletic horse, including grass and artificial surfaces. You’ll discover how the choice of surfaces used for racing and equestrian pursuits can determine horse welfare and performance. You’ll draw on your knowledge from other modules you'll have studied, including Equine Medicine and Veterinary Techniques, Equation Science and Equine Ethics and Welfare.

In this module, you’ll turn your hand to financial management tools, human resources management, and marketing. These skills will go towards managing the complex and multifaceted job of planning events. You’ll also learn how to run an effective event safely, whether it be indoors or outdoors at racecourses.

What does it take to ensure a foal arrives safely and healthily into the world? In this encapsulating module, you’ll develop an in-depth understanding of foetal, neonatal and foal management and medicine through the lens of pathophysiology on a range of diseases and disorders. You’ll also take a look at the relevant causes of these diseases, and will evaluate contemporary methods for treatment of common illnesses. Alongside this, you’ll consider the impact of treatment and disease on prognosis and long-term athletic ability.

You’ll undergo a library-based study on a topic of your choice that is relevant to your programme of study, building upon your learning in Year 2. You’ll agree on your chosen topic of study with a member of staff, which must be submitted for approval by the end of week 1 in the semester in which the study is to be undertaken. It is important that you begin the necessary preliminary work at least 6 weeks before the start of the semester so that you are in a position to submit a well-considered learning contract by the end of week 1, with support from your supervisor.