The
founder of EQUINE SPORTS BREEDING (ESB), Vanessa Hawkins has made an
indelible mark on the equestrian world over the years. She has been a director
of the Australian and Victorian Horse Council, published the A-Z Horse Industry Directory and was the
first event director of Equitana Asia
Pacific 1999. She qualified as a
Registered Nurse before completing a two-year Horse Management course at Glenormiston
Ag College, then travelled extensively overseas studying horses and facilities.ESB
bloodlines have produced hundreds of beautiful horses including eight 4*
eventers and the sire of Olympic silver medallist Irish Jester, ESB Irish
Enough.
“I’m
proud of what ESB has achieved over the last 30 years and I get great
satisfaction from knowing how much joy the horses have brought into people’s
lives. Having produced over 300 horses and stood 11 stallions, I’ve had to
learn how to manage them by myself, at all ages and stages, and even competed
on the stallions before it was considered the norm.
“Over
the years, hundreds of people have visited the stud and many people have asked
for advice on a whole range of topics. This has led me to launch ESB Education in the hope that I can
help others by sharing my theories and experience with solutions, plans and support.
“Other
than breeding quality horses, my passion has always been education. I’ve taught
unemployed groups and horse people of different ages as well as lectured in
formal courses and managed corporate training programs for many years.
“ESB
education is an extension to what I have learnt over the years and I want to
make it available with a ‘Phone a Friend’ type service to help people in eight main subjects:
1.
A&P (Anatomy & Physiology)
2.
CMA (Conformation and Movement Assessment)
3.
ES (Equi-Schooling™) the three stages of ESB training
4.
ESM (Equestrian Sports Management)
5.
HICCUP (Horse Industry Career Choices 4U & Parents).
6.
IWM (Injuries and Wound Management)
7.
PDM (Property Design and Management)
8.
RSM (Reproduction and Stud Management
“A
knowledge of 1. Anatomy and Physiology
is vital for good horse management and training as well as assessing wounds and
injuries 2. Conformation and Movement Assessment helps people to understand
the meaning of ‘fit for purpose’ and the relevance to soundness’ especially
when interpreting pre-purchase veterinary assessments.
“3. Equi-Schooling™
is about my three stages of training the young horse: Primary (birth to weaning), Secondary (from
weanling to when you sit on their back) and Tertiary (from when you first sit
on a horse’s back to preparing the horse for competition). There are some great
coaches out there but it’s different when you breed your own or first start to
ride a green youngster.
“4. Equestrian Sports Management offers riders who are aspiring to compete at international
level, advise about the business aspects of their endeavour. How to write a
business plan or a sponsorship proposal for example.
“5. HICCUP (Horse
Industry Career Choices 4U & Parents) advises students, parents and
career teachers about the plethora of career opportunities in the horse
industry. The program is designed to identify personality profiles, their most
suitable career pathways and direction.
“6. Injuries
and Wound Management helps horse owners to understand the healing
process, as well as the management principles of wounds and injuries. Injuries
are expensive, and I’ve learnt how to keep dressings on and manage injuries
long term.
“I’ve
included 7. Property Design and Management in the program so that I can
share my costly mistakes and can help people with property selection, the
process of purchasing and setting up, with consideration for designs and
layout, material selection, the importance of drainage, solar power and
fencing. This subject is becoming more and more relevant with the number of
females doing this alone.
“The last subject is probably the most
obvious 8. Reproduction and Stud Management. When I started back in 1986 I had no intention of having
stallions or breeding so many horses, it just happened, and I’ve had to learn a
lot along the way. The journey has been a mix of many great moments with some
horrific incidents and painful learning experiences. More individuals are
breeding their own horses and I want to be able to help
people to understand the jargon and recognise the signs of potential problems.
The
ESB education programs are designed
to generally help people to breed, train and manage horses. “I know how daunting
some issues are and how reassuring it can be just to be able to ask those
‘silly questions’. It is all about Helping
people to help their horses.”
Using phone and online
platforms, individual and group coaching sessions are available as well as access
to manuals, webinars and online material.
Vanessa
is also available to lecture at schools and colleges.
“Clubs often use this as a good way of raising funds by running a workshop or a
seminar, especially during the colder months.”
You can text or call her on 0417 363 710
Written
by award winning journalist, Suzy Jarratt
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