New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and New Zealand’s Equine Educational Trust’s Equine Gateway programme is offering students like Tiela Rudolph a golden opportunity to enter our country’s flourishing breeding sector.

The Gateway programme introduces subjects outside of the general school curriculum, including trades, social work and agriculture. NZEET, a private industry-owned establishment, offers the New Zealand Equine Breeding Courses, commencing from a 13-month certificate, up to a professional apprenticeship.

These courses were a perfect fit for Rudolph, who grew up with a particular interest in the horse and thoroughbred industries but was seeking the knowledge required to move into an equine career.

“I found out about the course at school, I was at Mercury Bay Area School in Whitianga,” she said.

“I’ve always been interested in horses, my mum worked at horse studs, and I’ve grown up riding, so I wanted to get into a career in the industry. I wasn’t sure which part that would be, so the course gave me an idea of what the thoroughbred industry offers, which was good to get on to at school.”

While completing a portion of the Level 3 Breeding Qualification, Rudolph also gained credits through the assessments to go towards her NCEA Level 3 certificate. After finishing school, she was eager to enter the thoroughbred industry and was fortunate to secure a permanent position at Brighthill Farm in Waikato, where she would remain for the next four years.

“I did a lot of Level 3 assessments at school, then I finished my Level 3 certificate at Brighthill,” she said. “Following on from that, I’ve been able to finish my Level 4 with Brighthill as well, I really enjoyed doing the courses alongside working.

“It’s been great at Brighthill, I’ve been very lucky. My boss Nick (King) taught me everything I know and worked alongside me right through, supporting me and answering any questions. I learned a lot through the course, I’m really interested in the mares’ side in breeding season, keeping track of the cycles, going to the crush and foaling.

“We were a part of every aspect of the farm, I worked with foals, weanlings, yearlings, mares, and everything in between. If there were any sick or injured horses, the Gateway course gave me an insight into how to handle those situations, whether I needed to call a vet or get Nick involved, or if I could treat it myself.

“I’ve learned a lot about handling the horses, I’ve just completed a yearling prep with Brighthill. I’ve done quite a few sales in the past, but in this past year, I’ve been more in charge of prepping the horses and managing the staff as well. It’s been really good.”

Rudolph recently gained her New Zealand Certificate in Equine Breeding Level 4 (Apprenticeship) whilst working full-time at Brighthill, which proved to be an asset as an integral part of the course is applying the knowledge into the real world.

With another yearling preparation completed, Rudolph is looking forward to furthering her education across the Tasman in New South Wales, earning a role at one of Australia’s biggest stud farms.

“It’s been great, I’ve been at Brighthill for four years and I think it’s time for me to go out and get more life experience,” she said.

“I’m heading to Australia this weekend to work at Yarraman Park and I’m very excited, every place works differently so I’m looking forward to learning there, it seems like a great place.”