Equestrian Life Magazine September Issue 220 | Page 12

Leaving school and
want to work with
horses?
If you want to earn while
you learn and gain real,
practical experience, then you
should consider an Equine
Apprenticeship with Stubbing
Court Training Ltd (SCT).
Chesterfield-based SCT matches
keen young people with the right
employers and offers both sides
considerable support.
Leah Warburton, 17, joined SCT’s
apprenticeship programme last
year and works at Fiona Holton’s
Barleyfields Equestrian Centre
near Derby.
“I didn’t come from a horsey
family – I had to beg my Dad to
let me have riding lessons,” says
Leah. “I worked for Fiona on a
Saturday to begin with, and after
my exams I decided I wanted
a career with horses. Fiona
opened the door to that.”
As part of her apprenticeship,
Leah has to complete a series
of targets for each unit of
learning and development and is
continuously assessed. She does
general yard duties and rides and
schools horses at Barleyfields.
“It’s brilliant,” she says. “I’m
the sort who learns best by
doing it, rather than sitting in a
classroom. The apprenticeship
scheme gives you so many
opportunities and you are
encouraged to do your best and
achieve your goals. Working –
and getting paid for it – makes

you more mature and gives you
a more adult perspective on the
working world.
Fiona Holton has run a highly
successful riding school,
competition centre and training
centre for nearly 20 years. She
has taken on more than 100 SCT
apprentices in that time.
She says: “Even my chief
instructor came through the
SCT apprenticeship scheme.
It provides excellent training
opportunities for young people,
and is a valuable supplier of staff
to the equestrian industry. The
sound, broad-based training
that apprenticeships offer gives
them the platform to gain the
proper, practical experience
and skills needed to work with
horses, manage a yard and
eventually run a business.
“And from an employer’s
point of view, SCT offers a
lot of professional back-up
and advice. The professional
development opportunities
and qualifications on offer for
employers are fantastic. SCT’s
close links with top riders and
top yards are of great benefit
to students. They give them the
opportunity to learn how vital
attention to detail, hard work and
professionalism are.”
For more information on SCT’s
apprenticeships, visit
www.stubbingcourttraining.com

Fiona Holton and Leah Warburton at Barleyfields EC

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