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Equine Health and Welfare, MRes, MSc, PGDip

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This postgraduate programme provides a thorough understanding of Equine Health and Welfare within the context of the human use of horses. Based at the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences at Brackenhurst campus students benefit from first class facilities and staff expertise in animal behaviour, nutrition, competition performance, animal biology and veterinay sciences.

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Key information

Entry requirements

2.2 undergraduate degree in a relevant science subject (related to biological sciences) is required.
Equivalent level of industrial experience will also be considered
International students: IELTS 6.0 or equivalent

Please see the how to apply section for the full entry requirement details.

Course length

12 months full-time, 24 months part-time

Study location

Brackenhurst campus

Fees and funding

UK/EU for 2012/2013

MSc: £4,900
MRes: £5,300
PG Dip (MSc): £3,270
PG Dip (MRes) £3,540

International for 2012/2013

MSc: £11,300
MRes: £11,950

Scholarships available

Start date

September

Visit the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences site

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How To Apply
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Reasons to choose this course

Postgraduate scholarships of £1,000 are available for 2012 entry.
Students can specialise in key areas of interest, for example nutrition, behaviour, exercise physiology, genetics and reproduction.
Recent Masters graduates are now employed as lecturers, nutritionists, research assistants, equine journalists and independent consultants.
Brackenhurst campus and Equestrian Centre is the perfect learning environment for postgraduate study and research in equine science.
Research in the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences has been recognised as being of international importance (RAE 2008).
Masters options available include taught MRes, MSc and PgDip options.
Undertake a major research project supported by research active experts. Research projects can be undertaken in the UK or abroad, benefiting from our wide ranging link with industry and scientific institutions.

This postgraduate degree focuses on recent advances in sports horse nutrition, behaviour, exercise physiology, genetics and reproduction - in the context of equine welfare, ethics and ethology.

We are one of the few universities in the UK to offer taught multi-disciplinary modules that develop the scientific expertise and comprehensive understanding that potential employers are looking for. Students will enhance their research expertise enabling them to analyse and report findings to a high scientific standard, and communicate to a wide range of audiences.

MRes and MSc options
The Master of Research (MRes) course provides the opportunity to specialise to a higher degree in one aspect of this area for research scientists. If you are interested in research, but also wish to acquire a broad in depth knowledge of equine health and welfare, the MSc course is ideal for you. In previous years MRes research projects have been sponsored by industry. The MSc is a 180 credit course of which 120 credits are part of the taught programme (equivalent to postgraduate diploma) and 60 credits are part of the research project.

How do you study?
Specialist researchers and staff teach current industry techniques and research skills, supplemented by practical sessions and lectures from some of the most experienced consultants in the country.

Full-time study is designed to give intensive training at postgraduate level, suitable for graduates from a background of biological sciences. The research project enables students to undertake and develop their own research interests with the support of experienced supervisors.

The part-time study option enables continuing development on a day-release basis for equine professionals looking to enhance their career prospects. Recent students have secured sponsorship from their employer to participate in the course. Students are supported throughout their studies by our excellent teaching staff, with e-mail tutorial contact and access to a virtual learning environment.

Assessment
Performance is assessed by written assignments, dissertation, oral presentation and online examinations.

Place of study
Brackenhurst campus is a 200-hectare estate in a beautiful rural setting, 14 miles north-east of Nottingham city centre, close to the market town of Southwell. Our equestrian centre provides excellent facilities for practical work and will shortly be supported by a veterinary nursing facility. The well-established equestrian centre with its top-flight instructors, lecturers, facilities and horses, offers some of the best training available in the UK. The centre offers a full range of facilities, including a 60 x 40 metre indoor school and a 60 x 40 metre floodlit outdoor arena. There is a full range of stabling for up to 60 horses, a horse walker, solarium, weighbridge, treatment stocks, round pen and crew yards. A variety of forms of livery are available for horses owned by students, allowing them to take advantage of these extensive facilities.

Students have access to both the onsite facilities of a library, careers service, computer suites, cafe and bar, along with the extensive facilities at the University's other campuses, at the City site and Clifton campus (Sports Science Department).

Please note the following information for applicants

Course delivery

Taught modules are delivered between September and April over a period of up to three days per week (full-time). The research project module will be taught from the start of the second semester and students will work to complete their projects between May and September. MRes students will work on their research project together with the Supervisors from the beginning of the course.

Modules

Sports Horse Health and Welfare

Genetics and Reproduction (genetic selection and welfare, reproduction methods and technology, reproduction and health, venereal disease control, foal growth and disease, international legislation)
Nutrition (gastrointestinal system and processes, nutrient requirements, recent advances in equine nutrition, nutrition and metabolic disorders)
Disease and Sickness (aetiology and epidemiology of disease, immunology, pathogenic agents, global disease factors and legislation, current research topics)

Sports Horse Training and Performance

Physiological effects of exercise (muscoskeletal and cardiovascular adaptations, nutrition and energy metabolism, immunology, haematology, physiological stress, recent advances in exercise physiology)
Injury and rehabilitation (recent advances in veterinary diagnosis, injury prevention, veterinary treatment and management, therapy, drugs, recent advances in equine therapeutic techniques)
Performance horse management and welfare (training methods and schedules, nutrition, sports horse transport and legislation, effect of rider, international legal aspects and implications)

Ethics and Consultation

Ethics (principles behind ethical discussion, ethics and morality, use of the horse and perception of horses in societies, equestrian sports and ethics, recent advances in welfare perception within society – conference attendance)
Consultation (consultancy techniques, communication, confrontation and negotiation, applied science, case study field work: case history evaluation, case reporting and recommendations, treatment follow up, professional liability, legal implications)
Communications and Knowledge Dissemination (journalism, teaching, lecturing, conference presentations, seminars, book chapters).

Ethology and Welfare

Identification of the range of Equus species
Worldwide dispersal, features of habitat
Management of feral and wild populations
Conservation projects
Behavioural adaptations of each species
Ethological methods and their application
Equus species in captivity
Evidence of captivity stress in Equus sp. and application to Equus caballus

Research Methods and Data Analysis
This module will provide postgraduate students with advanced skills in interpretation of quantitative and qualitative research data relevant to whole-organism biology. Students will also develop a critical understanding of the ethical considerations involved in the collection of data from field surveying.

This Research Methods and Data Analysis module also underpins the surveying modules by investigating survey design and exploring computerised biological recording and management systems. Statistical techniques will be used to provide students with a robust set of analytical tools to conduct research. These include traditional parametric and non-parametric statistics, multivariate statistics, ordination techniques and probability-based analysis. The module has a large eLearning component supported by theoretical lectures and practical sessions.

Conference attendance

An important aim of the MRes and MSc programmes is to enable students to gain an insight into recent advances in equine science. Students are strongly encouraged to attend an international scientific conference. They will have to pay for conference attendance, in addition to their course fees, but special discounts (attendance and accommodation) can be organised. Conference fees for students are generally very low and there are several options within short travel distance in the UK (for example the BSAS conference that was held in Nottingham in 2011). In addition students will be invited to attend or present at the University's science postgraduate conference.