Equine Courses at DCG
Would you love a job working with horses every day? You can learn all about riding, exercising and caring for horses at DCG’s Equestrian Centre – and gain the skills to become a first-rate equine professional with a fantastic range of career options ahead of you.
Where better than Broomfield Hall – with its 40 stables, indoor and outdoor schools, and cross-country schooling field – to prepare for your future in the equine world? Offering an exciting mix of theory and practical tasks, our courses stand you in good stead for roles such as groom, yard manager, equine welfare officer, riding instructor, horse trainer and equine behaviourist.
Hands-on experience will be key to your learning. You’ll work on daily and weekend rotas, taking responsibility for the yard and horses. You could join dressage and show jumping competitions, work behind-the-scenes at events like Chatsworth Horse Trials, and gain additional British Horse Society (BHS) qualifications.
For students keen to take their career prospects to the next level, our Foundation and Honours Degrees in Equine Science, Management and Training are a smart move. We also support apprenticeships and run popular ‘improve your riding’ sessions for the public.
virtual information event I’m here to
talk to you about our equine courses
that we hold here at Broomfield hall but
first of all I’m just going to give you
a bit of background knowledge about the
college first for everything into
perspective for you
so diary college or DCG group is made up
of four campuses including Broomfield
hall where you will be taking your
equine studies but we also have the
Roundhouse the Joseph Wright Center and
the campus Ilkeston all together these
make up the Darby College Group we have
a multitude of support areas available
to every student at DCG from the moment
we meet you right up until you have
completed your study program and are
deciding on your next steps whether you
still need to gain your maths and
English GCSEs
or if you’re looking for top quality
work experience to help gain valuable
industry knowledge we will offer you
tailored support to suit your individual
needs as you will see this evening
DCG have invested in first-class English
your standard equipment which can be
viewed in more detail after this
presentation we do everything we can to
help you succeed during your time here
and this has been recognized by Ofsted
who have graded us as a good provider
which is the second highest rating that
is available to any school or college
another fantastic asset we have at DCG
are our employer academies these have
helped our students gain valuable work
experience create key industry contacts
and really bring to life the college
learning experience our students here
are the heart of everything that we do
and our inclusion and support services
to help you maximize your potential and
reach your learning goals whatever
learning difficulty or disability you
may have we can offer tailored support
to match your individual needs we work
in partnership with teaching staff other
internal served
and external organizations to provide a
person-centered approach we have teamed
up with career coach which is designed
to help you find a good career by
providing the most current local data on
wages employment job postings and
associated education and training head
over to the careers and courses section
of a website and select career coach
from here you can easily browse or
search for the available courses at DCG
that will lead you to the career that
you want you can also take a career
assessment on career coach to learn
about yourself and then it will give you
career suggestions based on your
interests this is all free of charge
Darby College has a purpose-built
Equestrian Center that has a wide range
of facilities designed to help prepare
students for the equanimity this
includes a variety of stable types horse
walker a large indoor school an outdoor
arena cross-country field and an
all-weather cross-country track
Weybridge Britisher jumpin standard show
jumps off road Estate right and on-site
classrooms there is student delivery
available for you at the Christian
Center while you study your course for
more information on this please ask we
offer a range of equine courses at Darby
college all the way from a level one
grooms diploma right up to B’s the
honorary degree program in equine
management through the University of
Derby tonight we’re going to focus on
our Fe programs so these are our level 1
grooms diploma level 2 diploma and horse
care at our level three technical
extended deployer in equine management
all three are based up at the Derby
College Equestrian Center the level 1
grooms diploma is a year-long course
with an average of 3 days per week in
college you will study math and English
your functional skills alongside the
main qualification the course is based
around the British horse society
Challenge Awards in which you can gain a
bronze silver or gold award
there are both writing and non writing
routes the level one is a very practical
course to gain experience with horses
and learning in an earthy environment
it’s a good option as a first step into
the horse care industry if you have
limited knowledge there are no
qualification requirements for the level
one grooms diploma the level two grooms
diploma is a one-year course with an
average of three days in college per
week you will continue to study towards
your English and maths GCSE or
functional skills alongside this main
qualification if all is a city in girl’s
portfolio and as a mix of written
assignments practical assessment and
short exams some of the modules that you
will be involved in our stable duties
handling horse health behavior feeding
biology techni quipment and grooming
there are both riding and lawn raiding
options the course also involves the
work experience module which will see
for weeks
external work experience along with
mandatory our duties this course is a
mix of practical and theory learning to
help build and develop on your current
equine knowledge and experience entry
requirements are two GCSEs at grade 4 or
above in any subject
the level three technical diploma is a
two-year course with an average of four
days a week in college and one personal
study day the course is designed around
the city and Guilds technical diploma
and is a mix of a written exam written
and practical assessments which are all
done in the spring the module 1 you will
study health nutrition behavior yard
operations biology course presentation
health and safety and takun equipment
gear 2 modules include rehabilitation
Events Management fitness and training
business management equitation a
question teaching and working horses
from the ground both ears have writing
an on writing routes in year 1 you will
study towards your British horse Society
stage 1 and write safe in year 2 you
will study towards your British horse
Society stage 2 in both years their work
experience modules and mandatory yard
duties the level 3 technical diploma is
a diverse and challenging course that
will prepare learners for the eccrine
industry it covers a wide range of
topics
this course is equivalent to 3a levels
and you make a mucus points for hit G
programs and universities
intro requirements are for GCSEs at
grade 4 or above this must include
English language maths and one of the
sciences you may also gain entry through
obtaining a level 2 diploma if you’re
unsure of your qualifications please ask
during the live chat the British Heart
Society is a worldwide recognized
organization alongside the level 3 in
hate G qualifications at Derby college
students will be given the opportunity
to study towards and take their BHS
exams diary college contributes towards
the cost of these assessments and
provide the training which is embedded
into the full-time courses we also hold
a stage 1 and stage 2 exam at the Derby
College aquestion Centre for our
internal applicants
only you will get the chance to work
towards right safe BHS stage 1 and BHS
stage 2 which are all fully embedded
into the timetables additionally any
students who we see are above and beyond
the stage 1 & 2 syllabus we will help
them achieve their teach or stage 3 exam
as well these qualifications will be at
student’s own expense at Derby College
Equestrian Center we feel it’s important
for learners to get a fill view of what
jobs there are available in the industry
one way that we embed this into the
curriculum is by inviting as many guest
speakers in as possible so they may
share their industry knowledge and
expertise this is a great chance for our
learners to talk to these industry
experts not only to gain experience and
knowledge and specific topics but to
also give them a wide outlook in to what
careers are available in the industry we
are also keen to give learners the
opportunity to go to a wide range of
educational trips and visits here are a
few that we have been on over the past
few years we are dedicated in giving
students a full experience of for the a
quent industry we hold as part of this
all students on a level 2 and level 3
course are required to undertake yard
duties these are a mandatory for all
students on level 2 and level 3 programs
this will include one weekday during
term time Monday through Friday where
students will arrive at 8 o’clock and do
an hour on the yard before starting
lessons at 9 and also staying late to do
4:30 to 5:15 on the yard it will also
include one in four weekends on the yard
either a Saturday or Sunday
this changes to 1 & 3 over the winter
terms when the horses are in and there’s
more work required yard groups have
started at the start of the year you
will be given a rota with clear days for
the full academic year of your
commitment to the yard duties if you
cannot do a day then it’s your
responsibility to find another student
as a replacement and you can swap your
hours to make sure you still do the same
amount of hours through the year in the
equine sector there is a large range of
career progression opportunities from
practical based and yard based jobs to
jobs such as Events Coordinator and
sales here are just a few possibilities
of career progression after some of the
courses available at Derby College a few
more snippets of information for you
there may be tuition fees for over nine
teams please do not take holidays in
term time all the courses are quite fast
paced and taking a week out may see you
fall behind there are is a weight limit
for riding which is currently set at 13
still you’ll be waved at the start of
each term there’s a college uniform that
you must wear which will include a
t-shirt and a sweatshirt this is a
practical course and you’ll be spending
a lot of time outside so please ensure
you have waterproof clothing and warm
two coats steel toe-caps are required in
the yards along with the riding hat body
protector gloves a shark weapon along
with skeleton whip plain jar present
breeches no jury to be worn on the yard
and of course you will need some
academic equipment such as a folder and
a pencil case full of utensils at Darby
College Equestrian Center we expect our
students to strive for a hundred percent
attendance and participation and all
activities we require them to have a
can-do attitude towards oral tasks
teamwork is also a huge part of the
question Center life we have high
standards and we expect our students to
maintain these and we will help and
support get students to a place or
assess them in good stead for a life in
the industry please do give our Facebook
page a follow to keep up with what’s
happening at the equation Center and for
any updates we post on a regular basis
what we’ve been up to for our students
and it’s a really good insight into what
life is like at Darby College Equestrian
Center
Darby College has a significant impact
on many individuals businesses and the
wider community we are committed to
producing a talent pill equipped with
the
right skills and attitude to meet the
needs of employers we are proud of our
contribution to the economic growth and
social prosperity by guiding people onto
learning pathways that lead to positive
destinations we encourage progress and
aspirational outcomes many of our
learners have gone on to achieve great
things since leaving the college here
are a few examples of the many
inspirational success stories we have to
share with you we have a detailed
step-by-step guide on how to apply which
is accessible from both our website and
our perspectives here is a summarized
breakdown of the steps you can expect to
take during the application process with
DCG when you head back to the event home
page after this head over to our student
services team who are there to help you
apply now if you wish or at least they
can give you any more advice and answer
any questions you might have in relation
to the application process thank you for
watching
Equine – Course Listings
Adult and Community (6)
Course Type: Adult and Community
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 18/09/2025
Course Type: Adult and Community
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 18/09/2025
Course Type: Adult and Community
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 16/09/2025
Course Type: Adult and Community
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 16/09/2025
Course Type: Adult and Community
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 17/09/2025
Course Type: Adult and Community
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 17/09/2025
Apprenticeships (2)
Course Type: Apprenticeships
Location: Broomfield Hall
Course Type: Apprenticeships
Location: Broomfield Hall
Higher Education (10)
Course Type: Higher Education
Location: Broomfield Hall
Course Type: Higher Education
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 15/09/2025
Course Type: Higher Education
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 15/09/2025
Course Type: Higher Education
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 15/09/2025
Course Type: Higher Education
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 15/09/2025
Course Type: Higher Education
Location: Broomfield Hall
Course Type: Higher Education
Location: Broomfield Hall
Course Type: Higher Education
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 15/09/2025
Course Type: Higher Education
Location: Broomfield Hall
Course Type: Higher Education
Location: Broomfield Hall
Start Date: 15/09/2025
School Leaver - Vocational/Technical (3)
Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: Broomfield Hall
Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: Broomfield Hall
Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: Broomfield Hall
Key Information
Our Teachers
You’ll be inspired and motivated by tutors with vast experience and a high profile in the equine industry. They’ll keep you up to date with latest thinking on themes such as horse behaviour, rehabilitation and therapy, competition grooming and stable management.
We’re at the heart of the equine community: our Equestrian Centre runs elite training, BHS exams, short courses, competitions and facilities hire. So it’s an excellent place to make industry contacts that will serve you well for the future, including the chance of work placements. To help you decide on your next steps, our staff also arrange workshops featuring professional riders, vets, nutritionists, physiotherapists and saddlers to highlight different aspects of equine careers.
Our facilities and location
Discover our campuses and facilities here. Each campus page contains:
- 360-degree images of our facilities
- A location map
- A list of courses that are run at the campus
- Student Success Stories
Find out more
How to Apply
Equine – Success Stories
Brooke Gelder
School Leaver Vocational
Emma Whay
Higher Education
Mitch Gent
School Leaver Vocational
Georgia Brereton
Higher Education
Gabrielle Madders
Higher Education
Jo Wilkinson
School Leaver Vocational
Ruth Orrell-Stokes
School Leaver Vocational
Emily Field
School Leaver Vocational