Comcol Equine

On Monday, Equine Musculoskeletal Therapist, Nicolett Geldermann, spoke to our equine students about the structure of the horses' spine, how this affects their ability to flex and bend, the effects of pressure on the spine and rib cage, and the importance of rider position and balance. This gave our students a lot to think about in regards to the impact of their own rider position and balance on a horse, and was a great introduction to a week of studying the anatomy of the horse. Thanks Nicolett for a very interesting and informative session, and great to see you back at Comcol. 😊

Our Rangiora High School international equine students have started Pilates sessions to build core strength and improve posture and flexibility, to help them be stable, balanced, and supple riders. 🙂

Rangiora High School international equine students have spent two weeks researching internal parasites and are now doing the practical - learning the technique to worm a horse. Louie has worked out that the students are using a tasty molasses and water solution to practice with so is happy to help out. 🙂

Comcol Equine was part of the North Canterbury Youth Futures careers expo last evening at MainPower Stadium, where our horse, kindly lent to us from Rangiora Equestrian Supplies, was a big drawcard. We had a lot of interest in and many questions asked about our Equine Connect (wellbeing) and Equine Career Link (industry skills) programmes. A big thank you to the North Canterbury Youth Futures career expo organising committee, helpers, and those who attended, for a great evening.🙂

Sean Pope Popes Saddlery & Canvas showing the RHS international equine students what to look for when selecting and fitting a saddle. Thank you Sean for taking the time, in the middle of the snow flurries, to teach the students how to correctly fit a saddle, and what to look out for when purchasing a saddle. An important lesson for our horses' wellbeing. 🙂

Johnny, Leo and Louie in their new rugs, ready for some rough weather. Double rugged for extra warmth.😊😊😊

Looking to take the next step into further education or employment? Visit the North Canterbury Youth Futures Expo for some ideas and inspiration.....

Prior to leaving our Equine Skills course for home or further study, the Rangiora High School international students get to complete a picture of themselves with their favourite horse as a momento. Some beautiful artworks have been created. It's always sad to see the students leave but lovely when many return, even some time later, with family, to show them where they studied while in NZ, and updating us on what they have been up to.

We are in search of a new horse to join our equine team. Can you help?

Students undertook an exercise in understanding horse fitness based on heart rate. They took the horses' heart rates at rest, after a 10 minute walking warm up to see the elevation, again after 10 minutes of trotting, after 5 minutes of cantering, and finally after a 15 minute recovery period. This is parallel to CTR (Competitive Trail Riding) and Endurance fitness testing. Louie’s resting rate was 32bpm, 44 bpm after strenuous exercise, and 36 bpm at recovery, indicating a good level of fitness. 🙂