Course Description

Self-Paced Learning via Distance – suggested 12 months part-time study (330 hours)

The Certification in Equine Pasture Management combines two very important fundamentals pertaining to horse health, with students studying and understanding the important of both pasture nutrition and pasture management. The course will emphasise exactly what the horse, as a herbivore species in nature is designed to eat, along with the importance and effectiveness of the nutritional uptake.

Pastures play an important role in the life and management of all horses. A well-managed pasture is a highly valuable source of nutrition. Horses spend either all, or none of their time in a paddock and some paddocks can be overstocked, never rested and infested with internal weeds and parasites, therefore how may this affect the horse nutritionally?

A pasture is defined as a plant community which is grazed by livestock. Plants involved need to compete for light, water and nutrients, they need to withstand varying degrees of defoliation and trampling if they are to survive. Plants are in a pasture to provide forage and can provide the majority of their nutritional needs, the productivity of the plants, the soil type, seasonal distribution of the production and quality; all have a significant influence on livestock.

Having a sound understanding of the role pastures play in the life and management of all horses is of the highest importance for any equine nutritionist.



Course curriculum

  • 1

    Course Orientation

    • Course Welcome

    • Student Handbook

    • Study Guide

    • How to Reference Your Work

    • Blank Assessment Cover Sheet: To be submitted with any written assignments.
  • 2

    Course Resources and Bonus Materials

    • EBook: Soil Guide by Geoff Moore

    • DPI Research Article: Soil Acidity and Liming- by Brett Upjohn, Greg Fenton and Mark Conyers

    • DPI: Equine Nutrition and Pastures for Horses Workshop

    • DPI: Pastures for Horses by Hugh Allan, Rod Hoare and Carol Rose.

    • EPublication: The ‘Grazier’s Guide to Pastures’ by for the DPI NSW.

    • Native Grasses- A regional guide by Ann Prescott for Natural Resources Adelaide.

    • Common Grasses of Tasmania by Peter Lane, Dennis Morris, Kerry Bridle and Alieta Eyles.

    • DPI: ‘Pasture Identification- A field guide for the Pilbara’, by Mary-Anne Clunies-Ross and Andrew Mitchell, Western Australian Government.

    • DPI EPublication: Worm Control in Horses- NSW Primary Industries Sarah Robinson

    • EBook: Poisonous Plants for Horses- RIRDC
  • 3

    Equine Pasture Management: Module One

    • Equine Herbivores and Plant Physiology

    • Module 1 Quiz
  • 4

    Equine Pasture Management: Module Two

    • Pasture Soils

    • Module 2 Quiz

    • Blank Assessment Cover Sheet

    • Module 2 Quiz: Part 2
  • 5

    Equine Pasture Management: Module Three

    • Feeding the Land

    • Module 3 Quiz
  • 6

    Equine Pasture Management: Module Four

    • Seeds to Sward

    • Module 4 Quiz

    • Blank Assessment Cover Sheet

    • Module 4 Quiz: Part 2
  • 7

    Equine Pasture Management: Module Five

    • Equine Pastures: Grasses

    • Blank Assessment Cover Sheet

    • Module 5 Quiz
  • 8

    Equine Pasture Management: Module Six

    • Equine Pastures: Legumes

    • Blank Assessment Cover Sheet

    • Module 6 Quiz
  • 9

    Equine Pasture Management: Module Seven

    • Equine Grazing Behaviour

    • Module 7 Quiz

  • 10

    Equine Pasture Management: Module Eight

    • Paddock Management

    • Module 8 Quiz
  • 11

    Equine Pasture Management: Module Nine

    • Equine Parasitic Management

    • Module 9 Quiz
  • 12

    Equine Pasture Management: Module Ten

    • Toxic Pastures and Weeds

    • Blank Assessment Cover Sheet

    • Module 10 Quiz
  • 13

    Final: Examination

    • Pasture Management Examination

Course Requirements

  • Course is suggested to be completed within 12 months part-time from commencement date. There is no course expiry, students can complete the course at a pace that is suitable and sustainable for their own work/study/life balance.

  • Students can enrol at anytime.

  • Course is delivered via distance education through the ANME online learning portal.

  • Prerequisites not required for enrollment into this course.

  • Student require a Computer/Laptop/or Smart Phone with internet access A headset (If your computer is without an internal speaker).

  • Students must have basic computer skills.

  • Students must have basic English language skills. As we do have subtitle options on webinars, unfortunately the online test assessments are conducted in English.

Course Accreditation

Graduates are eligible to join the the International Institute of Complimentary Therapies or the Small Animal and Equine Naturopathic Association as a full member. Association accreditation and insurance to work as a professional in the industry as a qualified and industry recognised Equine Pasture Specialist.


Course Material

Course material is accessed via an online learning portal with downloadable course manual. All course lessons delivered through the mediums of text/audio/webinars/videos.

  • Bonus material- EBook

    o Equine Pasture Identification Guides by the DPI and RIRDC.

  • Bonus material

    o Poisonous Plants and Weed Identification Guides by DPI and RIRDC

  • Bonus material

    o ‘Nutrient Requirements for Pastures’ by DPI and RIRDC.

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