Knowledge and Skills Training Programme – Autumn 2017

2nd and 4th October

Training  – Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue

The Horse Trust will be training Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service for the first time in October with two refresher courses booked. The Horse Trust’s Introduction to Horse Handling and Behaviour course provides Fire and Rescue Service personnel with crucial horse knowledge and practical skills to help them deal with emergency incidents involving horses. There is a strong focus on the horse’s natural instincts and behaviours and how to keep arousal levels to a minimum during a rescue to avoid a strong fear response, which could cause further welfare compromise to the horse.

This refresher course is completed in 3 hours, attendees will recap on the essential elements of horse behaviour and handling. They then apply these skills practically one realistic operational scenario involving evacuating horses.

The Learning outcomes have been developed with BARTA and deliver skills and knowledge which form part of the National Fire and Rescue Service Animal Rescue Level 2 Responder Course.

Emphasis is placed on reducing anxiety and minimising further stress by giving them a greater understanding of how horses react during dynamic and frightening situations.

This essential basic insight into horse behaviour will assist firefighters in making effective and safe operational decisions at incidents involving horses.

2nd November

Training – Emergency Services Wales

Statutory agencies in Wales have heard about the courses that we have produced with BARTA and they would like all of their emergency services to have the training; this includes the Fire and Rescue Service, Police and Paramedics.  On the 2nd November, the Training Manager and Officer will deliver a pilot course to a mixture of Police and Fire and Rescue Service attendees at an Agricultural College in Wales, this pilot course will be assessed by the Heads of Service and the college’s equine lecturing team.

Horses in emergency situations are a dangerous prospect, both for public safety and equine welfare so these courses hope to improve the safety of responders and in turn the welfare of horses. This is why The Horse Trust and the British Animal Rescue and Trauma Care Association (BARTA) has developed training, tailor made to meet the needs of the emergency services.

Emphasis is placed on reducing anxiety and minimising further stress by having an awareness of how horses react during dynamic and frightening situations. Responders can use this knowledge to facilitate ways of calming the situation and controlling the scene in order to resolve it using the skills they have received, coupled with resources and other agencies in place to support them.

This training is a major step forward in organisational planning to resolve the challenges animals place on their staff and to safeguard the public.

20th, 21st, 22nd November

Training – Highways England (Northern Region)

The Horse Trust, in partnership with The British Animal Rescue and Trauma Care Association (BARTA) and Highways England, announced the start of ‘Animals on the Network’ Equine Training in the North region. In May The Horse Trust ran the first of this training at the North venue in Ledston training 84 Highways England Traffic Officers in the first nine courses across May and June, with the aim of training over 300 traffic officers in the North of the country. Highways England Traffic officers attend the north region to complete a day’s training on handling equines and canines (Canine training provided by Ronnie Jeffrey of Farm Kennels).

The Horse Trust has already trained 468 Highways England Traffic Officers in the South with the aim of training over 1000 in total.