Assess and manage equine behaviour
Overview
This standard covers how to assess and manage equine behaviour. Each time you interact with an equine, you have the potential to alter their behaviour patterns, this could be reinforcing existing behaviours or creating new ones to help the equine become comfortable with hoof care. It is important that you understand that your behaviour impacts on how the equine will behave. You need to have the skills necessary to manage and maintain your own behaviour. Attempting to carry out routine care work with an equine that is not well trained for that work represents a risk to your safety, the safety of others involved in the work and a risk to the welfare of the equine.
You need to be aware of your own limitations and confirm that you meet the relevant legal responsibilities for providing your duty of care under animal health and welfare legislation, codes of practice and policies of the business.
The responsible person can be anyone who has responsibility for the equine such as the owner, trainer, groom or hoof care practitioner. This standard is for UK Equine Hoof Care practitioners.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
"1. work professionally and ethically and within the limits of your authority, expertise, training, competence and experience
2. comply with the relevant animal health and welfare and animal-related legislation and associated codes of practice
3. carry out your work in accordance with the relevant environmental and health and safety legislation, codes of practice and policies of the business
4. select and wear suitable clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE)
5. maintain hygiene and biosecurity in accordance with the relevant legislation and business practices
6. interact with the equine in a manner that minimises distress and allows care and training to be carried out safely for the equine and anyone involved in the work, including yourself
7. assess and manage equine behaviour patterns
8. assess and manage the level of training that is needed for the equine to achieve the required behaviour for the task
9. recognise when the equine behaviour is at a level that means that it is not practical or safe to complete the task
10. recognise whether the training required is within your level of ability
11. recognise when to request that the responsible person carries out further training and when to refer to an equine behaviour specialist
12. create a training plan for the desired behaviour
13. implement the training plan using current training methodology
14. manage the training plan in order to take into account the response of the equine
15. recognise and consider that the responsible person may have valid views on the approach taken to training
16. maintain communication with all those involved in, or affected by your work
17. confirm that records are completed, maintained and stored as required by the relevant legislation and business practice"
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
"1. your professional responsibilities and the need to maintain
professional competence
2. your responsibilities under the relevant environmental and health and safety legislation, codes of practice and the policies of your business
3. your responsibilities under current animal health and welfare legislation, other relevant animal regulations and codes of practice, and the legal limitations of the current Veterinary Surgeons Act with regard to diagnosis and treatment of disease or injury
4. the type of clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE) suitable for the activity
5. the importance of maintaining hygiene and biosecurity and the methods for achieving these
6. how to recognise that your behaviour will represent training to the equine and how it may impact on the behaviour of the equine
7. how equine and human awareness can differ in relation to the senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch
8. the difference in natural survival behaviour between predator and prey animals and the relevance of this to equine behaviour patterns
9. the different natural behaviour patterns of a domesticated equine
10. how to recognise behaviour patterns that are the result of pain or discomfort or the result of previous traumatic experience and how to take account of these in your interaction with the equine
11. how to recognise where behaviour patterns may be influenced by the equine's environment and understand how to take account of such factors
12. the importance of involving the responsible person in managing the behaviour of the equine
13. the use of current training methods, and the effect of these methods on equine behaviour and the practicalities of applying each method
14. the practical effects and consequences of training and the environment on managing equine learning and behaviour
15. the impact of flooding, systematic desensitisation and counter conditioning
16. the importance of timing and consistency in training
17. how to set and write a training plan with relevant and achievable training goals for the equine
18. the significance of setting achievable goals in the training plan and the application of the principles of training
19. how to assess the current level of an equine's behaviour against a training plan to ensure your health and safety and to avoid distress in the equine
20. the importance of maintaining communication with those involved in, or affected by, your work and how this should be done
21. the records that need to be kept and the importance of completing them in accordance with the relevant legislation and business practice"
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Equine: a horse or other member of the horse family including donkeys, mules, hinnies and asses. This standard relates to the following contexts and applications: 1. Interacting with equines in a professional capacity such as a veterinary surgeon or equine health care professional 2. Designing training programmes to encourage calm behaviours and professional interaction with the equine 3. Having an awareness of equine behaviours that require referral to another health care professional or qualified specialist in equine behaviour and training