Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to relate the principles of education and conditioning to the fitness and skill requirements of racing horses, put into action the trainer's exercise program, monitor and report to the trainer the horses' responses to the program, and comply with rules of racing and animal welfare responsibilities and related protocols.

This unit also requires the practical care and management of harness or thoroughbred racing horses and the application of OHS standards in the workplace.

This unit of competency operates in workplace 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, trainers and others authorised to participate in implementing exercise programs for racehorses.

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 

Basic fitness to race requirements for racehorses are determined.

1. Fitness and health of individual horses are profiled.

2. Methods used to evaluate performance are described and implemented.

3. Indicators of poor adaptation  to training program are identified.

4. Factors affecting performance  for individual horses are evaluated.

Implement training program.

5. Stages of training programs  for individual horses are determined.

6. Methods used to condition horses are evaluated.

7. Racing jargon  and individual trainer terminology are clarified.

8. Daily, weekly and longer-term conditioning and education plans are interpreted.

9. Information on daily training plan  is relayed to others according to individual responsibility.

Review horse performance.

10. Trackwork, and trial or race performance is reported and results are compared with current fitness and education status.

11. Status of horse  is reported post-exercise, trial or race.

12. Performance and behaviour records are updated.

13. Methods and equipment  used to improve performance are evaluated.

14. Methods used to manage individual horse's temperament and behaviour are evaluated.

Review race performance.

15. Horse's recovery is assessed .

16. Race performance is assessed.

17. Future race and training plans are prepared.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

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

Required skills 

• communicating with trainer, staff, horse health specialists and others to gather and relay information related to implementing exercise programs for horses
• complying with animal welfare policies when assisting in the management of horses in race preparation
• complying with directions of officials and rules of racing
• dealing with emergencies
• ensuring OHS workplace procedures are followed
• following trainer's conditioning and training program for individual horses
• identifying positive and negative responses to exercise
• identifying benefits and disadvantages of various methods of exercising and conditioning horses for racing
• investigating possible causes of poor performance
• monitoring horse behaviour and response to exercise and reporting to trainer
• predicting potential impact of factors that can affect performance in horses
• reading and interpreting workplace documentation, including relevant rules of racing
• relating to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with varying physical and mental abilities
• written communication skills to complete workplace documentation and reports.

Required knowledge 

• common illnesses and injuries of racing horse
• communication procedures within stable and wider racing industry
• industry terminology related to preparing horses for racing
• OHS obligations and racing industry safe operating procedures
• racing industry animal welfare requirements
• roles and responsibilities of trainers, staff and officials in the care, exercise and management of racehorses
• rules of racing
• signs and symptoms of normal and distressed behaviour in horses
• stable protocols and procedures for pre and post-exercise or race care of horses
• stages of fitness and skill development that racehorses must undergo before they are ready to race
• types of conditioning and training programs for racehorses.

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 training, trialling and racing horses
• demonstration of procedures and timely techniques for the safe, effective and efficient implementation, evaluation and modification of exercise programs for racehorses
• working with others to implement and complete procedures 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, track and race meeting environments.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Competency must be assessed in a racing workplace that provides access to horses that are being educated and trained in a commercial racing stable under the care of a licensed trainer and the required resources. 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 or thoroughbred horses that are currently in training
• commercial racing training establishments, and training and racetracks
• materials and equipment relevant to assessing candidate's ability to monitor and record trackwork and racing performance and relay information on training and racing horses to trainer, staff and specialists
• 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.

Where performance is not directly observed any evidence should be authenticated by supervisors or other appropriate persons, at least one of whom should be approved by the State Principal Racing Authority.

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

• RGRPSH304A Identify factors that affect racehorse performance
• RGRPSH308A Provide first aid and emergency care for horses
• RGRPSH309A Implement feeding programs for racehorses under direction.

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 participate in implementing racehorse exercise programs. Workplaces include harness or thoroughbred stables and racecourses, training tracks and public areas.

Methods  used to evaluate performance include:

• horse has maintained or varied body weight
• horse's recovery after exercise by monitoring vital signs, for example:

• heart rate
• respiratory rate

• horse's behaviour in stables and during work
• horse's adaptation to workload, including:

• ability to continue working without signs of soreness
• eating up feed and drinking adequate quantity of water

• trackwork, trial and race times.

Indicators  of poor adaptation include:

• blood results
• development of undesirable behaviour patterns, including:

• bolting
• box walking
• jibbing
• kicking or biting staff or other horses
• refusing or unwilling when asked to work
• refusing to enter or remain in start stalls
• refusing to work with other horses
• weaving

• lameness
• reluctance to eat
• slow times compared to other horses of same stage of development
• slow recovery rates (vital signs)
• weight loss.

Factors affecting performance  may include:

• age
• conformation and overall soundness
• experience of and adaptation to living in a racing environment
• gender, for example:

• colt
• filly

• previous injuries
• providing enough time between increases in workload to allow adaptation of body systems
• track conditions
• training methods
• type and intensity of work
• willingness of horse to compete against others.

Stages of training programs  may include:

• breaking in
• first preparation
• barrier training
• preparing for specialist race type or distance
• ready to trial
• ready to race
• returning after injury
• returning after spell.

Methods used to condition horses  may include:

• beach work
• hacking out
• hill work
• jogging behind a vehicle
• lunging
• riding (harness)
• swimming
• trackwork
• treadmills or walking machines.

Racing jargon  may include:

• common and trainer-specific terms used to describe:

• conformation and anatomical features
• horse illnesses and injuries
• horse behaviour:

• during exercise or racing
• relating to its adaptation to a racing lifestyle
• when being handled
• when in the stable

• horse's fitness
• race programs
• race types, distances and classes
• racing calendar
• racing officials
• rules of racing

• trackwork types, times and distances.

Daily training plan  may include:

• educational activities, such as:

• developing horse's confidence to work close to or move past other horses
• exposing horse to racing situations, such as:

• barrier training or jump outs (thoroughbred)
• mobile start equipment (harness)
• score-up (harness)
• standing start (harness)

• direction of work
• distance and time in various paces
• type of work, for example:

• swimming
• track
• walking machine

• working alone or with other horses.

Status of horse  may include:

• bleeding from:

• external injury
• nostrils
• when urinating

• blowing too much or for too long after exercise or not appearing to be stressed by workload
• heat in limbs
• horse completed planned work and appears to have recovered from effort without problem
• horse overworked due to inability to control
• horse refused to work
• horse started to work, stopped then reluctant to move, suggesting possible metabolic, digestive or cardiovascular disorder
• horse unable to complete planned work
• lame
• soreness or tenderness in limbs or other body parts
• sound
• sweating too much or not enough
• swelling in limbs.

Methods and equipment  may include:

• methods:

• increasing or reducing workload
• spelling horse
• working horse in different surroundings
• working horse on different surfaces
• working horse using non-racing programs, such as equestrian activities

• equipment:

• bandages
• bits
• blinkers or pacifiers
• boots
• ear muffs
• girth types and covers
• head check
• hobble length
• lighter or heavier rider, driver, saddle or vehicle
• lugging pole (harness)
• martingale
• nosebands
• shadow rolls.

Horse's recovery  is assessed by:

• monitoring horse's temperature, pulse and respiration
• checking for heat or swelling after cool down
• checking for signs of injury after race
• checking horse movement and behaviour during exercise 48 hours post-race and after strenuous exercise
• monitoring horse response to exercise in week post-race and after strenuous exercise
• monitoring horse's eating and drinking habits 24 hours post-race and after strenuous exercise
• reviewing horse's behaviour for signs of distress or pain.

Race performance  may include:

• comparing quality of race field to nominated horse
• considering horse's current fitness and education
• considering race incidents and track and weather conditions that affected nominated horse's performance
• expected race place compared to actual
• race winner time compared to nominated horse time
• reviewing race video for performance in various stages of race
• rider or driver comments
• track record for race distance.

Unit Sector 

Harness and thoroughbred racing codes

Co-requisite units 

Functional Area 

Racing performance services