My Equine and Business Managemeny Journey- Part 4

Back again with part four of my Writtle Journey. As well as a passion for horses, I also have an interest in the business industry. These days most businesses, have a website to communicate with customers. In the Applications to Computer Technology module, our assignment was to design a basic website and analyse it for a chosen equine business. I enjoy a little creativity and found this task quite enjoyable. I also think it will benefit me (or anyone!) when going out into the industry, I will be able to identify potential improvements for my employer’s website for their business. In order for them to have a user friendly website, they can make it easier for customers to gather information about their services.

Similar skills have also been nurtured during this module; I completed a consultancy project for a real business. A consultancy project is when an outside individual collaborates with a business in order to achieve a goal, for instance my project aimed to find out if opening a shop would be feasible for the business I was working with. During this project we looked at strengths weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the business, gathered information on the sector of the industry and made suitable recommendations on how the business could expand. I look forward to the second part of this module, due to start on the 25^th January. We are due to create business plans and look into the markets for products or services, potential competitors, cash flow and management of the business. 

Holly Morley

Third Year Equine Studies and Business Management Student

My Equine and Business management Journey- Part 3

I’m back again, with Part 3 of my journey at Writtle so far. Anatomy and physiology was one of the most insightful subjects covered in my course.  It included theory lectures and practical sessions. Each week we covered a system in the horses body and then dissections on the main organs related to the system. For instance after we covered the circulatory system we completed a dissection on the heart and after looking at the skeletal system, we looked at the bones in the horse’s body. Although it did smell at times, I learnt a lot about how the horse’s body works at a cellular level and found it very fascinating.

Yet another interesting module covered at Writtle was Applied Equine Technology. During this module we looked into how technology has been applied in the equine industry. For instance we looked at the health and safety equipment and developments such as, the BETA (British Equestrian Trade Association) Standards, we also discussed why the equine industry can sometimes be slow to uptake technology. This module provided a good insight to the industry at the current time and should help me to gain employment when I graduate, because I will be aware of all the important developments.

Holly Morley

Third Year Equine Studies and Business Management Student

My Equine and Business Management Journey- Part 2

Holly here! This is my second instalment in to my Equine journey. During my Equine Studies and Business Management course at Writtle I was able to choose whether to study Stud or Equitation. I chose Equitation and toughly enjoyed it. We were taught about the theory of riding then at Writtle I had the opportunity to work as part of a team to further develop one of the horses and on a separate occasion, develop a rider.

Whilst the training of the rider, we created lesson plans for our fellow class mates and over a few weeks worked together to develop the position and communication with the horse. We were then assessed on our ability to teach the rider a lesson. Although this was very nerve racking, it helped me to develop my communication skills, which I was probably somewhat lacking.

Working as a team to develop a horse was probably my favourite part of the module. Over a five week period our group of four worked together to improve our horses. Our horse was called Silver, she was very sweet when on the ground but had a tendency to rush at fences and needed to develop her lateral flexion. Lateral flexion is the bending of a horses body to the left and right, for instance when working on a circle, we wanted Silvers body to follow the shape of the circle. Some weeks we struggled to improve Silver, however by the end of our five week period we were able to jump a course of small fences with a greater amount of control and flexion.

 

 Holly Morley

Third Year Equine Studies and Business Management Student

My Equine and Business Management Journey

My name is Holly Morley, I’m a student studying at Writtle University College in my third year of my Degree in Equine Studies and Business Management. I love all animals and completed an Extended Diploma in Animal Management before I began at Writtle. I have had a passion for horses since a child and wanted to continue to learn about them whilst studying a subject that could be applied to other industries.

Studying a degree in Equine Studies and Business Management has enabled me to learn about horses as well as some business aspects. Both equine and business modules have been covered during my time at Writtle. A few of the module include Equine Nutrition, Equitation and Coaching, Business Skills and Applied Business.

The Equine Nutrition module has enabled me to learn about the nutritional requirements of the horse and how they vary according to age, workload and digestive requirements. It was extremely fascinating and eye opening learning about how the horse’s digestives system tackles the different food types provided to them. For this module there were both, theory and practical aspects. The theory included lectures and each week a different nutrient was covered, information about which feeds provide the nutrient, how they are digested and what excess or lack of the nutrient can do to the horse was covered. The information was provided by a lecturer that was not only knowledgeable but passionate about the subject covered. One practical during this module included an inspection of a horse’s digestive system, it was amazing to actually see the scale of the horse’s digestive system and the different fazes of food digestion.

One key business module undertaken has been Business Skills. Although it may sound boring, during this module, the key skills required for business and employment were covered, making it relevant and stimulating. Guest speakers came to talk about how they opened their own business and what they did after graduating from Writtle. It was interesting gaining a perspective on how different people have progressed, from there courses. One of the visitors was the owner of Equine Careers; she spoke about starting her online business. Not only did this visitor meeting opportunity provide knowledge of professional job opportunities when I graduate, it also provided information on how to start a successful business.

Holly Morley

Third Year Equine Studies and Business Management Student