Among the students graduating from Writtle College this year, were a cohort of five graduates from the BSc (Hons) Equine Sports Therapy Course – all of which are the first graduates of this popular equine course.
The Equine Sports Therapy course, which started in 2008, is a unique programme enabling graduates to leave Writtle College with an academic award and a professional qualification specialising in equine sports massage.
One of the first Equine Sports Therapy graduates, Christine Hills, had started to run her own business in horse and canine therapy just prior to enrolling at Writtle College three years ago, she commented: “I chose the course at Writtle as I had already completed my Equine Body Workers Certificate with Equinenergy, which hold their courses at Writtle, and I quickly realised that I needed to know more about horse anatomy, nutrition, behaviour, biomechanics and the riders influence, as well as complementary therapies.”
Christine, who was one of two First Class honours degree graduates from the course, continued to work part-time in her own business - Woof Neigh Therapy - while studying at Writtle. Christine went on to say: “I have found that since graduating, vets are more willing to refer horses and dogs for massage and physio. I’ve now been able to combine my all consuming passion for animals with a satisfying career. My life is hardly recognisable to pre-Writtle!”
In 2010, new equine facilities opened up at Writtle College’s Cow Watering Lane Campus, including an equine therapy barn, housing a hydrotherapy spa to treat horses for minor injuries, and an international-size indoor school. The hydrotherapy spa is an essential practical resource for the Equine Sports Therapy degree, which in its fourth year of running recruits more than 30 students every year.
The academic qualification of the Equine Sports Therapy degree focuses on many aspects of equine performance including gait, physiology and sports medicine. The professional qualification which is the Equine Bodyworker (EBW) Sports Massage Certification Course is an internationally recognised qualification. For further information about the Sports Therapy course or any other equine course please visit: www.writtle.ac.uk/UG-Equine
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Notes to editors:
Pictured: The cohort of five Equine Sports Therapy graduates: Amy Newman, Alana Cyman, Nikki Yearley, Leanne Smoker and Christine Hills.