The Open College of Equine Studies

BHS Horse Knowledge and Care Stage 4

This range of courses allows those unable to attend traditional training courses or train as a working pupil, to complete BHS Stage 1 to 4 Horse Knowledge and Care examination preparation through distance learning. The distance learning element can be supplemented by a five-day intensive Study Week at which a mock BHS examination is taken.

Specially developed course material provides all of the information required for students to pass the relevant HKC stage examination. A work assignment is completed at the end of each course module and submitted for assessment and tutor feedback. In-text activities and in-text questions are supplemented by a Practical Skills Workbook, which details the practical skills needed to pass the BHS examination. Students record satisfactory attainment of each skill listed in the Skills Workbook and seek verification of the achievement by a colleague or friend.

Once all skills have been attained and all work assignments completed, students attend the Study Week at TOCES yard in Suffolk. The course will help prepare the student for the practical elements of the BHS HK & C examination, with a mock exam taken on the final day of the course.

Please note that you cannot train for the riding section of the Stage 1 to 4 examinations through distance learning and that in order to attain a BHS HK & C qualification you must take the examination at a BHS Examination Centre. Structure and content of the range of BHS Courses may be subject to amendment to reflect changes in the BHS examination structure.

Module 1 – Anatomy and Physiology
The skeletal structure. Composition, formation and functions of bone, tendons and ligaments. The circulatory system. The respiratory system. The nervous, sensory and endocrine systems. The urinary system. The reproductive systems. Disorders of the systems of the horse.

Module 2 – Horse Management
Behaviour, instincts and vices. Minimising stress. Grassland management. Conformation.

Module 3 – Nutrition
The nutrients and digestion. Feed stuffs and rationing. The digestive system.

Module 4 – Health Management
Equine first aid – accident and illness prevention, bandaging and splinting, wound treatment. Health and disease, signs of ill health, bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Managing the sick horse. Treatment of miscellaneous ailments.

Module 5 – Lameness
Diagnosing lameness. Causes and treatments of lameness.

Module 6 – Fitness and Competition
Exercise physiology. Fittening programmes. Appraising the fitness of a horse. Tack and equipment for competition.

Module 7 – Breeding
Selection of breeding stock. Care and management of breeding stock. The reproductive systems. Covering. Pregnancy. Foaling. Care of youngstock.

Module 8 – Yard Management
Design, construction and maintenance of facilities. Business planning. Financial management. Business and the law. Staff relations. Organisation of the yard and office. The BHS.

Optional Study Week
Intensive preparation for the BHS Stage 4 Horse Knowledge and Care examination. A mock Horse Knowledge and Care Stage 4 examination is taken on the final day.

Click here to find out more about residential study weeks.