Sustainable Horsekeeping Series - click on image below for
more information
equiculture
Horse Ownership - Responsible Sustainable Ethical©
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Selection of recent conferences, seminars & courses attended:
- ISES 7th International Conference: 2011 Holland
- Dorset Wildlife Trust: Managing Grazing Animals for Conservation (course), 2011, UK
- RSPCA Australian Scientific Seminar: All work and no play, 2011 Canberra, Aus
- ISES 6th International Conference: 2010 Uppsala, Sweden
- British Grassland Society - Managing Grass for Horses, (seminar) 2010, UK
- ABA Fertility Control for Wild Horses (seminar): 2009 Brisbane, Aus
- RSPCA QLD World Farm Animal Day: 2009 Brisbane, Aus
- ISES 5th International Conference: 2009 Sydney, Aus
- ISES 1st International Symposium: 2005 Melbourne, Aus
- RSPCA Equine Welfare Conference: 2002 Canberra, Aus
That’s my formal qualifications and experiences. I have been horse mad (obsessed) since very young. At around the age of 10 I set out to wear my parents down and eventually managed to get my first pony at age 11. This first pony was shared with my best friend and we paid for her upkeep by working at the stables where she was kept (we lived in the suburbs of a large industrial city in the north of England) and by doing paper rounds.
I was born with a seventy per cent hearing loss and went through school without hearing aids. Consequently I didn’t do very well at school - I only learned to read properly at the age of eight. Throughout school I sat at the back of the class and day-dreamed about horses for pretty much most of the time. I was classed as a ‘slow learner’ and was in remedial classes for most subjects. By secondary school I had perfected the art of being invisible - pretty good for a very tall uncoordinated adolescent - and so I was able to carry on with my daydreams about horses uninterrupted. My school did not mind if you did not apply yourself - as long as you did not cause trouble - so I managed to attend the final three years without putting pen to paper - literally. Every minute that I was not at school I was with my horse or working to pay for the upkeep of my horse.
I left school at sixteen without a single exam pass result and started my first job with horses. After several years of very hard labour for very little pay I decided that I need some qualifications. I met Stuart when I was sixteen while doing that first job with horses and he (having had a far better education than myself) encouraged me to go to college to obtain a degree and eventually University where I obtained a Masters degree (in Equine Studies). Those two years during the Masters were incredible and I will always be immensely grateful for being given that opportunity for further education. Stuart also needed to obtain a degree as we wanted to emigrate from England where we were both born. Stuart obtained a degree in Community Studies and eventually worked in Youth Services both in England and later in Australia after we emigrated. Finally getting a good education was the best thing I have ever done and I now firmly believe that education is the key to almost everything that is important in life. I believe that anyone can learn more, at any stage in their life, if they have the desire to learn.
Jane Myers MSc Equine Studies, BA (Hons)
- I have been involved in the Horse Industry for over 35 years (both here in Australia and in the UK) and I am the author of two books published by CSIRO called: Managing Horses on Small Properties and Horse Safe: A Complete Guide to Equine Safety. I am also a co-author of Horse Sense - The Guide to Horse Care in Australia and New Zealand (2nd edition) and I am co-author (along with Stuart Myers) of the new Sustainable Horsekeeping series (2011). See Our bookshop for more details.
- I am a recipient of a Churchill Fellowship (2011) from the The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and will be travelling to the USA in spring 2012 to study sustainable horsekeeping management systems with a view to minimising the environmental impact of horse properties in Australia.
- I hold an MSc (Masters degree) in Equine Studies from The University of Wales (UK) which I completed in the early nineties before migrating from the UK to Australia along with Stuart - my husband. The curriculum covered subjects such as horse behaviour, horse nutrition, horse health and disease, horse anatomy and physiology and horse business management. I also undertook a period of research at the Royal Edinburgh Veterinary School for my thesis on the grazing behaviour of horses.
- I have taught riding and horse management for more than 25 years including seven years at Glenormiston College (Melbourne University) to students on Equine Studies courses. I am a rider and have competed in various disciplines including endurance, dressage, carriage driving, show jumping and competitive trail riding.
- I am currently a member of the Australian Horse Industry Council (AHIC).
- I am qualified as an instructor with Horse Safety Australia and am also an executive board member of this organisation.
- As a former board member of the AHIC, I was a working group member (representing horses) of AAWS (Australian Animal Welfare Strategy) a government initiative overseen by DAFF (Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food).
- I am a member of the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) and attend international conferences held by this organisation (see below).
- I was employed as an Industry Liaison Officer by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI) during the Australian Equine Influenza outbreak.
- We (Stuart and I) provide a one day seminar (Managing Horses on Small Properties). These seminars are usually hosted by groups such as Landcare, water catchment groups (i.e. SEQ Catchments and Melbourne Water) and local councils. We also provide a seminar on horse property planning, and we provide a seminar for natural resource managers (i.e. Landcare officers, water catchment organisation employees, local council workers) on the subject of horses in the community, the environmental issues of horses, understanding horse owners etc.
- We provide a consultation service for horse owners on horse property design and layout.
- I am a speaker at conferences on the subject of sustainable horse properties, equine welfare etc.
- I have written numerous horse magazine articles and I am a freelance writer of books, booklets and equine courses on subjects such as riding, behaviour, horse training and property/pasture management.
- I provide a one day riding clinic and lessons on the subject of the ‘Independent Seat’ and I teach (via lessons/clinics/seminars) and advise on a variety of subjects including handling and riding instruction, feeding, horse behaviour, float training, positive reinforcement (clicker) training, property and pasture management, horse safety and horse management.
Conferences and expos presented at:
- Ethical Equine Extravaganza June 2011 UK
- Equitana Melbourne 2010 Australia
- EquineX Canberra 2010 Australia
- Equus Inspirations Expo TAS 2010 Australia
- Sustainable Living Expo 2009 Armidale Australia
- Equitana Melbourne 2008 Australia
- Eumundi Sustainable Living Expo 2009 Australia
- Beaudesert Horse Expo 2008 Australia
- Quest Maryborough 2007 Australia
- Beaudesert Horse Expo 2007 Australia
We live in Australia but currently spend a lot of time in the UK. Therefore the best way to contact us is by email.
We are now on Facebook with pages for both
We aim to answer all emails promptly but we are unable to answer individual queries or questions relating to personal circumstances due to the volume of mail we receive.
See the News and new stuff page for some information about our rough itinerary for the next year or so… and the Seminars and workshops page for a table showing upcoming seminars/workshops and talks.
About us
This page contains my formal biography (below), a list of conferences and expos presented at, a list of recent conferences, seminars and courses I have attended and a brief informal biography. There is also information about how to contact us.