You want to achieve the best performing dressage and sport horses and a successful equestrian company. But how? And how can you distinguish yourself? The minor Innovation in equestrian sports and business gives you skills and knowledge to achieve this. You learn to develop and innovate to be successful.

For that you have to be aware of the performance of the horse and the rider. You will also need to know about different features of the horse business, the customers, the market and the communication and the ways to make the business not only successful but also sustainable.

In this minor we discuss nutrition, breeding, you learn to innovate and, related to the innovation you come up with, you develop a business plan. You get to work with practical cases and give advice based on the knowledge you gain and on top of that you learn to work in an interdisciplinary team.

Added value:
Students will learn how to improve and innovate equine sports practices. They will acquire basic skills about doing business in equine sports, and, after studying and analysing, give advice in real live case studies.

You will learn:

• To understand tools for application of best practices in animal nutrition and animal breeding.
• To give clear and practical advice that supports long-term, sustainable performance improvement for both horse and rider, while considering different perspectives such as the clients goals, the horses well being and relevant external factors
• To develop specific unique new innovation, by going through the innovation cycle.
• To develop a business plan for a small company related you your innovation.
• To approach and support a client who wants to improve the performance of a horse-rider combination.
• To reflect on how I communicated with the client and how different viewpoints influenced my advice. I describe what I’ve learned from the process and how it contributes to my personal and professional development by using the inner development goals

Students with at least 1.5 year Bachelor education in Agriculture or Animal Husbandry
You need to have obtained at least 90 credits from your Bachelor program at the moment of registration to start with the minor.

Provide documents for entry requirements:
Grade list from your current Bachelor program that is showing you are fulfilling the entry requirements.

Through the course website literature will be announced that will also be available web-based or in the library.

30 EC corresponding with 30*28 hours work load = 840 hours

Written or oral tests for each module, as well as a project assignment for each module

Capacity/waiting list: max 5 students

Required contact hours: 16 hours per week