In May, the Hadlow College Equine team held their Annual show for the public. As part of the Managing an Equine Event unit, our Level 3 Extended Diploma in Equine Management students planned and delivered the Show on Sunday 21st May 2023 at Hadlow College. The Annual Show is run by the Equine Extended Diploma students every year and has been for over 10 years!
The Annual Show includes a range of different classes that members of the public can enter with their horses. This year, the students chose to run showjumping, in hand showing, ridden showing, working hunter and children's classes as these events catered for all different types of local competitors.
The students had to do a lot of preparation on the lead up to the event. The first thing the students do in this unit is take a class vote as to who they would like to select to be 'event secretaries'. Once decided, the class discusses what elements of the show they oversee, working to each other strengths and enabling their peers to learn new things about different equine disciplines. During this time, the students met every week, taking minutes and setting actions for the week. The students planned everything from contacting and organising judges, finding sponsorships for the classes, designing the showjumping course and setting up the event, working alongside our experienced Lecturers and Equine Commercial Manager to produce a quality, fun event for the local equine community. They also delivered the event on the day, each with their own roles and responsibilities, working as a team to create an enjoyable experience for competitors.
Connor Wilkinson, Level 3 Extended Diploma in Equine Management, said "The planning and delivery of the event was really successful as we all communicated very well as a team"
Ashante Callender, Level 3 Extended Diploma in Equine Management, said "Even though we had several challenges such as external competition from other venues, we still produced a fun event that everyone enjoyed"
Chloe Challinor, Lecturer in Equine, commented “The Level 3 Extended Diploma in Equine Management students work extremely hard every year to make this event happen. We love that students can experience event management planning and delivery first hand, providing them with vital employability skills so that they can work in job roles within the equine event management sector after finishing their qualification.”
She continued “This year, the students demonstrated their ability to work confidently as a team, overcoming any challenges without hesitation. I am so proud of them, and they should be proud of themselves!”