Equitation Science, 4 ECTS

The course will be an online event via Zoom and be spread over a total of 5 days in June, September and October (see course application below). The course will provide participants with scientific and practical tools with which they can validate human‐horse interactions to identify training methods that are ethical  and effective and highlight those that represent problems for horse welfare and human safety. To achieve this, lectures and seminars will cover topics such as equine ethology, perception and communication, applied ethology, equine cognition and learning, learning theory, research methods and communication of scientific findings to promote evidence based practice.

The course consists of lectures (20 hours), group discussions (5 hours) and seminars (15 hours), a home assignment (70 hours) and a virtual practical-workshop (5 hours) where theoretical knowledge is put into action to bridge science with practice. Real case scenarios will be implemented throughout.

The course will be held entirely online. Participation is obligatory to promote active learning and engage participants in discussions. Pre- and post-assignments for students are obligatory and supervision/guidance will be provided by the main teachers of the course

After course completion, students shall be able to:

• describe the horses’ biological needs
• discuss and integrate an ethological approach to training and welfare assessment
• define and explain learning theory and apply it to training, accounting for the horses’ cognitive and sensory abilities
• define abnormal behaviour, reflect upon the development of unwanted behaviour and provide evidence‐based solutions to real life problems
• critically evaluate and explain the effects of management and human/rider on horse welfare
• objectively discuss, communicate, and implement an evidence‐based approach to human-horse interactions