Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to prepare rations for racing horses and assess a range of feed, additives and supplements in relation to quality and potential influence on industry regulations.

To undertake this unit the candidate will have already achieved or be able to demonstrate competence in the practical care and management of harness or thoroughbred racing horses and application of OHS standards in the workplace.

This unit of competency operates in work environments of racing stables, paddocks, yards, racecourses and public areas.

Licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements may apply to this unit, check with your State Principal Racing Authority for current license or registration requirements.

Application of the unit 

This unit of competency supports senior stablehands, leading hands, trainers and others authorised to determine nutritional requirements for racing horses.

Competencies attained in this unit apply to the harness and thoroughbred codes of the industry. Consequently when performance criteria are applied they will relate to the harness or thoroughbred code and statements of attainment will reflect this distinction.

This unit can be contextualised for other industries while also maintaining the integrity of the unit.

Prerequisite units 

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

Prepare rations for racing horses.

1. Nutritional principles  are applied to the formulation of individual rations.

2. Rations are appropriate to horse's condition, workload and stage of training  .

3. Basic rations for individual horses are formulated.

Assess range of feed, additives and supplements for horses and monitor stable feeding practices.

4. Feed is selected on the basis of quality , type , and nutritional , energy and economic value  for a particular animal.

5. Supplements and feed additives  are assessed on the basis of active ingredients, price and nutritional needs for specific horses.

6. Supplements and feed additives selected are checked  for industry regulation and animal welfare compliance.

7. Potential influence of supplements on the total carbon dioxide level  (TCO2 ) in racehorses is identified.

8. Stable feed records are maintained and monitoredand feed order is prepared.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

• applying safe work practices when determining nutritional requirements of horses
• applying nutritional principles
• communicating with employer, supervisor, co-workers and feed merchants using assertive communication techniques to gather, interpret and relay information related to determining nutritional requirements for racing horses
• completing duties in accordance with safe operating procedures and nominated time frame
• complying with animal welfare policies in the care and management of horses
• identifying and correctly using different feed components and feed supplements
• identifying individual horses
• identifying changes to horse behaviour
• identifying quality, type, and nutritional, energy and economic value of various feeds
• monitoring feed records
• preparing feed orders
• reading and interpreting workplace documentation, including relevant rules of racing
• recognising changes in horses' condition
• recognising spoiled or contaminated feed
• relating to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with varying physical and mental abilities
• reporting problems promptly
• using feed weighing scales
• written communication skills to complete workplace documentation and reports.

Required knowledge 

• horse digestive system
• basic industry terminology related to handling and caring for horses
• communication procedures within stable and wider racing industry
• common horse behaviour, social traits and vices
• economic value of various feeds
• feed and feed supplements
• interaction between feed and supplements that may result in contravention of industry regulations
• nutritional principles in relation to horses' age and needs while spelling, training and racing
• nutritional value of various feeds
• quality of feed
• racing industry animal welfare requirements
• racing industry safety requirements, including safe operating procedures
• relevant rules of racing
• sources and importance of energy, protein, fibre, minerals, trace elements and vitamins in a feed ration
• weighing feeds.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit and include evidence of the following:

• knowledge of the requirements, procedures and instructions that are to apply when determining nutritional requirements for racing horses
• implementation of procedures and timely techniques for the safe, effective and efficient determination of nutritional requirements for racing horses
• working with others to undertake and complete tasks related to racing horse nutritional requirements that meet required outcomes.

Evidence should be collected over a period of time using a range of racehorses of different ages and sexes, and at different stages of preparation in racing stable environments.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Competency must be assessed in a racing workplace that provides access to the required resources or simulated environment approved by the relevant State Principal Racing Authority. Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints. It is to comply with relevant regulatory requirements or Australian Standards requirements.

Assessment of the practical components of this unit will be by observation of relevant skills.

The following resources must be available:

• a variety of harness and thoroughbred horses
• materials and equipment relevant to assessing candidate's ability to determine and monitor nutritional requirements of racing horses
• racing stables
• work instructions and related documentation.

Method of assessment 

Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the Racing Training Package.

The suggested strategies for the assessment of this unit are:

• written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge
• observed, documented and firsthand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks
• simulation exercises conducted in a State Principal Racing Authority approved simulated environment.

Evidence is required to be demonstrated over a period of time, therefore where performance is not directly observed any evidence should be authenticated by supervisors or other appropriate persons.

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

• RGRPSH401A Relate anatomical and physiological features to the care and treatment of horses
• RGRPSH408A Manage horse health and welfare
• RGRPSH501A Plan and adapt training and conditioning programs for racehorses.

Guidance information for assessment 

Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds).

RANGE STATEMENT 

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below.

The range statement provides details of how this competency can be used in the workplaces of the racing industry to assess determining nutritional requirements for racing horses. Workplaces include harness and thoroughbred stables and racecourses, training tracks and public areas.

Nutritional principles  will include:

• digestive system:

• mouth and teeth
• stomach
• small intestine
• large intestine

• digestive problems:

• colic
• ulcers

• feeding habits:

• effects of temperature
• normal eating patterns
• stable eating patterns
• social influences

• nutrients:

• energy
• fat
• minerals
• protein
• vitamins
• water

• weight of feeds.

Workload and stage of training  will include:

• age
• grain and roughage balance
• how soon after work or racing to feed
• introducing changes slowly
• letting down or spelling feeds
• monitoring
• pre-training feeds
• racing feeds.

Quality , type , and nutritional , energy and economic value  will include:

• alternative feeds, including oils
• contaminants
• drought
• storage
• regional availability.

Supplements and feed additives  may include:

• calcium
• electrolytes
• herbal remedies
• iron and minerals
• oils
• vitamins.

Supplements and feed additives  are selected and checked to avoid:

• accidental introduction of banned substances that contravene the rules of racing.

Total carbon dioxide level  (TCO2 ) will include:

• alkalising agents:

• bicarbonates
• citrates
• lactates
• succinates

• blood levels
• rules of racing.

Unit Sector 

Harness and thoroughbred racing codes

Co-requisite units 

Functional Area 

Racing performance services