Horse Safety Australia Inc –
formerly called the ‘Association for Horsemanship Safety and Education in Australia Inc’ (AHSE)
History
In 1992 the Association for Horsemanship, Safety and Education in Australia was formed to foster higher standards of safety within the horse industry, particularly relating to teaching horse-riding to groups of beginners. Since then Horse Safety Australia has accredited 3000+ instructors in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, WA and South Australia.
The Association for Horsemanship Safety and Education originally obtained its structure from the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) in USA (with their support) using their materials, which had been developed over 45 years of experience in horse-riding at youth camps. AHSE went on its own in 1997 and linked with the Australian vocational education system.
In 2006 AHSE changed its name to Horse Safety Australia Inc.
Accreditation
What do our clinics involve?
The aims of Horse Safety Australia involve safety, fun and effective teaching of horse activities in all disciplines.
HSA clinics are designed as an opportunity for those already experienced in the industry to gain certification. They are not a training process, but officially they are assessment only.
There are different levels covered at the clinic:
The introductory instructor who teaches the basics of walk, trot and canter (walk, jog and lope) to groups and is working in an established business run by a more experienced horse person, covering just the basics of how to manage a horse and communicate with it in a safe environment. There is a great need in the industry for this level of instructor… i.e. this is primarily about working with beginners.
The general instructor must be able to set up the safe environment and structure in which the ‘introductory instructors’ work, and also be able to assess horses for those new to equine activities and understand how to keep their clients safe. They have a general understanding of horse skills and can communicate these effectively to their clients.
There is also the senior instructor level (minimum age is 25). In addition to the skills of those mentioned above, these people teach more advanced/refined skills, often including the theoretical aspects pf communicating with horses. This is for those who run clinics or who work full time in teaching others across a broad spectrum, or who coach the more advanced riders. (If you are not ready for this at your first clinic, you can get the basic level then come back at a future clinic for 1-2 days at a reduced rate, to show us how you can now work at the more advanced level.)
There is also a trail guide certification for those running trail rides.
All of these levels are available at most of our clinics. The clinic title lets you know what the individual clinics cover.
Our clinics are closely connected to a Unit of Competency which we believe is a good guide to the knowledge and skills needed by those who are formally responsible for others when their clients’ activities involve horses. Our Risk Management component of the clinic contains all the content of SISOEQU010 Identify hazards, assess and control safety risks in horse handling and riding activities., Although we are not currently awarding this as a unit of competency it is still an ingrained part of the clinic and our safety focus