Shannon’s developing her knowledge and passion for horses

March 20, 2025

My name is Shannon McCann, and I am studying on the City and Guilds Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Equine Management at Enniskillen Campus. What I love most about the course is the practical based lessons. We get a variety of horses to work with daily and cover a bit of everything which is great to enable us to grow further to meet the different industry needs. Lecturers always work very hard, teaching us using different techniques, for example through quizzes, posters and booklets.  I love the variety of experiences that I get at CAFRE.

I got into horses at a young age, starting with riding lessons, to owning my own horse at 16.  Members of my family are into horses, so I was always around them. I heard about CAFRE through friends that previously went to and some that are still studying at CAFRE. Following CAFRE on Facebook, I found out about all the events they do and courses available. I attended an Open Day and found it to be well organised, and everyone was really nice. When I applied I was invited to a ‘Taster Day’. It showed me what the day-to-day routine is like at CAFRE. We had a practical lesson with the horses and got to groom and find out what the horses are like. We also had a session in the laboratory.

I was a bit apprehensive on my first day at CAFRE. However, the activities that the lecturers and student services organised really helped ease the situation. The induction programme helped us settle in before our timetable kicked in the following week.

For my work placement I am going to Castle Irvine to work for five weeks.  I’m really looking forward to learning more about the event management side of the industry. It will help me prepare for my second year ‘Contribute to Managing an Equine Event’ module.

I really enjoyed our class trip where we visited Claire Abbott Eventing, Danescroft Equestrian and Rowan Equestrian. It was interesting to see different yards and to see how their routine is different to our college yard.  We also got to meet some high-level riding horses and horses potentially going to the Olympics.  I loved hearing about the horses and their journey to get to that level. 

After I complete my two years with CAFRE I would like to take a year to travel, working at different yards, to gain more experience. I would then return to study on the BSc in Equine Management. Alternatively, I could go straight on to the BSc (Honours) Degree and make use of the optional Diploma in Professional Practice year in the third year of the course.

If you are interested in studying Equine, visit the course pages to find out more. CAFRE has courses suited to those leaving school with GCSE or equivalent qualifications (Level 2 and Level 3 programmes). Foundation and Honours Degree courses are on offer for those with A-Level or equivalent qualifications.