Higher Technical Professional Course in Equine Management, Therapeutic and Leisure Horsemanship

To manage an equestrian center to provide the proper handling of the horse and its use for therapeutic, sporting or leisure purposes.

– Holders of a secondary education course or legally equivalent qualification;
– Those who have passed the specially appropriate tests designed to assess the ability to attend higher education for those over 23 years old, carried out for the course in question;
– Holders of a technological specialization diploma, a higher professional technician diploma or a higher education degree wishing to be re-qualified.

Through training in different areas of horse breeding and use, senior professional technicians in Equine Management, Therapeutic Equitation and Leisure, will be able to play an active role in equestrian centers, studios, companies dedicated to tourism with an equestrian aspect and / or institutions dedicated to the rehabilitation of people with disabilities. Senior professional technicians in Equine Management, Therapeutic Equitation and Leisure are able to perform the following main activities: a) Plan and manage a company dedicated to the provision of equestrian services; b) Plan and manage the horse’s housing and working conditions; c) Provide the correct identification of the horses under the legislation in force; d) Plan and evaluate the safety measures in the handling of the horse and during its use; e) Coordinate the transport of horses; f) Manage the horse’s food management according to its nutritional needs according to its physiological state and activity level; g) Plan the horse’s hygiene and sanitary management together with other professionals; h) Plan the horse’s reproductive management together with other professionals; i) Manage the use of the horse according to its physical and psychic characteristics and according to the respective purposes; j) Plan and coordinate the training of the horse for conventional riding, with therapeutic and leisure purposes; k) Plan and coordinate riding lessons, therapeutic riding and horse riding for leisure purposes.

Learning and evaluation languages: Portuguese

A – Knowledge a) risks associated with riding; b) anatomy and organ systems of the horse; c) horse’s nutritional needs and nutritional value of different feeds; d) most frequent pathologies of the horse and main forms of prevention; e) main forage and pasture species used in horse feeding, as well as the main techniques used in their production and conservation; f) horse’s different behaviors; g) different aspects of the horse’s exterior; h) human pathologies that benefit from riding for therapeutic purposes; i) main techniques used in horse riding for therapeutic purposes; j) elementary riding techniques; k) training methods of equestrian sports most practiced in Portugal; l) main reproductive techniques used in horses; m) drilling and hull problems; n) ways of stabling horses, the materials to be used in stables and workplaces for horses; o) transport and logistics of horses; p) research, analysis, screening, information processing and presentation of written and oral works; q) tourism systems; r) implementation and management of companies; s) activities related to equestrian tourism.

B – Skills a) Develop occupational health and safety plans, minimizing the possibility of accidents at work with the horse; b) Assess the horse’s dietary needs in different physiological states and define the respective feed; c) Planning and preparing forage and concentrate food storage; d) Assist other professionals in the application of the main prophylactic health measures for the horse; e) Assess the integrity of the horse’s hoof and collaborate in the interventions necessary for correct equine podiatry; f) Evaluate and select the best horse to use according to the intended objective and according to its physical and behavioral characteristics; g) Prepare and train the horse for basic riding; h) Prepare and execute initial riding lessons; i) Assess patients with other professionals and plan the exercises to be adopted in each case by integrating a multidisciplinary team in riding sessions for therapeutic purposes; j) Prepare and train the horse for the most practiced equestrian sports in Portugal; k) Carry out basic operations for the reproductive management of horses, at the best time for that purpose; l) Prepare and maintain the best housing conditions for horses, as well as ensuring the best flow of manure; m) Carry out, properly authorized by the competent authorities, the transport of horses safely; n) Prepare and request the correct identification of horses; o) Prepare reports to assess the progression of patients’ motor and cognitive abilities and leaflets to publicize their activities; p) Plan the implementation of a company dedicated to the provision of equestrian services; q) Prepare and carry out equestrian tourism activities, namely horseback riding, under natural conditions, through previously studied routes; r) Perform interventions inherent to equine podiatry.

C – Attitudes a) Demonstrate autonomy in decision making; b) Demonstrate responsibility and leadership skills; c) Demonstrate the ability to communicate with horse-related professionals and users; d) Demonstrate availability and respect for others; e) Demonstrate initiative in activities related to the use of the horse; f) Demonstrate the ability to improve the self-esteem of others; g) Demonstrate willingness and willingness to value the national heritage, while living with tourists; h) Demonstrate flexibility by adapting to different contexts of demand for your services, either by customers or by patients.

Licenciatura (Bachelor programmes).