Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Paul McGreevy, is the first direct appointment related to the University of New England’s investment in the Tamworth Region and will help to drive course development around horse behaviour, training and welfare in consultation with industry.
“I’ll be working on short courses around sustainable horse-keeping and minimum standards in horse welfare, as part of our commitment to the establishment of an Equine Academy,” Professor McGreevy said.
“Understanding how to obtain optimal performance from horses while giving them a good life is a primary goal for many horse owners in the region and the anticipated National Equine Academy will become the rightful home for scholars with a passion for all things equine.”
UNE’s Director of Regional Development, Professor David Miron said industry consultation had determined that there was a clear interest in equine studies and the preference is to have such studies embedded in AELEC.
“The UNE Tamworth Industry Academic Advisory Group (TIAAG) surveyed equine industry representatives in May 2021,” Professor Miron said. “The survey indicated a very strong interest in establishing equine studies in Tamworth.”
“A working group, under leadership of TIAAG and chaired by myself, was subsequently established to drive the project and we’ve had three very productive meetings to date.
“Given the AELEC’s high profile as the premier livestock events complex in Australia, it makes sense to house a National Equine Academy within its grounds. The process would be that of co-design and development with industry, from the ground up, pioneering the way forward for similar industry/academic collaboration.”
An Equine Academy is a major element of the UNE/Tamworth university campus project with specific focus on building workforce capacity through the introduction of industry-specific courses developed through extensive consultation with Tamworth business representatives.
Industry representative and former AELEC manager, Mike Rowland, believes an Equine Academy will increase personal and professional growth opportunities in a broad sector that combines hobbyists and part-time practitioners through to highly skilled professionals, dedicated to delivering improved conditions for horses and their humans.
“Individually the working group members each have expertise and a wealth of knowledge in their specific skillsets that will assist UNE in developing real, deliverable, long term benefits to the broader equine industry,” Mr Rowland, who is also the deputy chair of the working group, said.
Plans to bring equine studies to Tamworth follows the recent announcement by MP Kevin Anderson that state government has been given the green light to pour $26.6 million from its Growing Local Economies fund into the UNE Tamworth campus project.
The Tamworth region has long been recognised as a centre of equestrian excellence. This was cemented in 2008 with the establishment of the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC). Home to many of the major Australian equestrian organisations national events, AELEC is one of the most unique livestock events complexes in the world and attracts about 7000 competitors, 9000 horses and 16,000 head of cattle each year.
The working group is set to meet with specialist economics, policy and strategy advisory firm ACIL Allen for a preliminary discussion around the vision of a national Equine Academic in Tamworth later this month.
