THE College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) has been a hive of activity at Enniskillen Campus during semester one.

Final year BSc (Hons) Degree in Equine Management students undertake their most notable academic challenge yet, their final year dissertation projects.

A lot of the learning at CAFRE, across both further and higher education courses, consists of linking real world practices to theory and research. The equine industry is very diverse in nature and, once students have graduated, there will be many varied challenges for the graduates to face. Being resourceful is a key skill that will serve students well, as they start forging their careers within this competitive industry.

Research interests

Over the previous two years of their course, the BSc (Hons) Degree in Equine Management students have covered a wide range of topics, some of which will have particularly piqued their interest. The final year dissertation projects provide an excellent opportunity for students to develop these research interests further, whilst also potentially covering a topic area that is relevant to their future career goals. The facilities at Enniskillen Campus are well-placed to provide the perfect environment for carrying out a range of research projects. With a varied herd of sport horses and thoroughbreds and outstanding facilities including a range of available technologies, the students are fortunate that there is a lot of scope to pursue their interests.

In addition to the excellent facilities, there is a significant level of staff expertise available to help the students to develop their work. A diverse team of equine lecturers and equine technologists work closely with the students throughout their time at CAFRE.

Rider performance

Amy Rowlands is a final year BSc (Hons) Degree student from Coleraine, with a strong interest in pursuing a career in the thoroughbred industry with the longer-term goal of taking up a managerial position within the industry. Amy has a keen interest in the science behind rider performance. Her final year dissertation project is an investigation into the physiological effects of music on the rider and the potential impact on the horse, focusing particularly on balance and heart rate measurements. A recent addition to the technology available at Enniskillen Campus is two state of the art riding simulators, one for racing and the other for equitation activities. Each can measure several variables, informing riders of areas for further development and providing valuable data, which can be used for dissertation projects. Amy has been working closely with both her dissertation supervisor, equine lecturer, Jenny Richardson, and equine technologists, Dr Kym Griffin and Julie McSwiggan, to gather a range of data with riders on the simulators, which she will analyse as part of her project.

Retraining thoroughbreds

Emma McNeill, a final year BSc (Hons) Degree student from Virginia, Co Cavan, has a strong interest in pursuing a career in the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry. In addition to her studies, Emma has gained experience in retraining thoroughbreds, prepping yearlings and working at the sales. Her career ambition is to manage a youngstock or breeding yard. Through CAFRE, she has recently been offered a Graduate Internship at Coolmore Stud, which will give her an invaluable opportunity to gain more experience and develop her skills further.

Currently, Emma is focusing on her final year dissertation project, which aims to determine the effect of different stirrup types on rider balance when riding an equitation simulator. Emma is working closely with her dissertation supervisor, equine lecturer, Chris Bogues, and CAFRE equine technologists to gather data from a range of riders assessing balance and rein pressure, whilst riding with different stirrup designs.

Equine welfare

Catherine O’Connor from Omagh is also studying on the final year of the BSc (Hons) Equine Management Degree. She has a strong interest in the thoroughbred sector and has also recently been offered a Graduate Internship at Coolmore Stud through CAFRE.

Catherine is passionate about equine welfare and behaviour and her interest in this area has led to her final year dissertation project topic, which is investigating the night-time budgets of equines in active turnouts, compared to square turnout pens. CAFRE, Enniskillen Campus has developed two innovative active turnout areas. This project has resulted in changes as to how the horses on site are managed and has made it possible for them to access an enriched environment in groups throughout the year. Catherine has been working closely with her supervisor, senior equine lecturer, Alison Morris, analysing video footage of a range of horses in each of the turnout areas to compare their activity levels in each environment.

Future market

The CAFRE Enniskillen Campus has an excellent reputation for training highly competent graduates, who are ‘work-ready’ to commence rewarding careers in the equine industry. The college places great value on helping students develop up to date technical knowledge and both practical and people skills to compete in the future market for employment.

Applications are currently being accepted for Foundation and Honours Degree programmes at Enniskillen Campus. Apply now through the UCAS application portal: www.ucas.com.

Visit cafre.ac.uk for more information on courses starting September 2025. Follow at DiscoverCAFRE on Facebook and Instagram.