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In January's BetaVet Under The Radar, we catch up with Amie Best who has been heavily entrenched in the industry for a long time and her current role involves shaping our participants of the future.
Explain your background and experience in the thoroughbred industry?
Both my parents are involved in the thoroughbred industry as owners and breeders. Dad trained standardbreds at one stage, as did my grandfather, and mum rode so I've always been around horses. I rode, mostly eventing, and went through the pony club system and then when I was at Uni I saw a job for yearling prep at Fairdale which started a six-year stint working for Rex Fell in my holidays.
I've worked in a few racing stables and also studs in Australia and England doing everything from yearling prep to the neonatal unit. Before I joined the academy, I spent 10 years contracting marketing and media work to various operations including New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing, Tara Hughes at Picket Fence, Trelawney Stud, Justine Sclater while she was at the NZTBA and Haunui Farm. I'm also a breeder and owner.
Explain your current role and a bit about your employer.
I'm the programme lead at the New Zealand Equine Academy, based at Byerley Park. The academy was set up in 2021 by Daniel Nakhle as a pathway for young people to kickstart their career in the thoroughbred industry. We offer two courses via Skill NZ - the NZ Certificate L2 and L3. I teach the L2 course which takes 13 weeks and runs out of Byerley Park, by the end of which graduates are ready for entry level employment in a racing stable or stud farm.
The L3 course is run out of our Cambridge campus and has both the strapper and trackwork rider strands. We're lucky to have Elen Nicholas and Aleisha Legg teach this course, as well as trackwork riding lessons for non-students. We also have the Apprentice Jockey Academy, powered by Entain, which is managed by Leith Innes.
Explain what a day in your role looks like.
Every day is different but they are all busy! When I have L2 students I teach from 9am-3pm, and also drop them off and pick them up from work placement starting at 5.30am.
There is a lot of admin that goes with being an education institution, compiling data, getting ready for reviews, creating engaging lesson content, the list goes on. W
e also have academy horses, all thoroughbreds, so depending if we have students or not, I also look after them. Then there is the marketing, recruiting students and trips to Cambridge to work with Elen and Aleisha.
What do you enjoy about your role?
There is a lot to enjoy. I love watching the students develop during the course, not only in their horse knowledge but also their personal skills and the confidence that comes with it. Alot of our students have not enjoyed school for whatever reason so to see them reignite that passion for learning and create connections with their fellow students is great.
I also enjoy being able to give something back to the industry by producing staff that have a good grounding and potential to grow further.
Working with Daniel, Leith, Aleisha and Elen is also really enjoyable. We all have the same vision for the academy (and like a laugh) so I really feel like we are achieving and have a clear idea of where we are headed.
What, if any, are the challenges your role faces?
The funding available to our course is a daily frustration, it limits our pool of students and I don't like to turn people away because they don't fit the criteria.
What do you love about the thoroughbred industry?
It can take you anywhere in the world and you meet great people. Plus it doesn't matter how bad your day is, you can find a quiet moment to give a horse a scratch behind the ears which will make you feel better. Can't do that in an office.
How can someone get involved in the courses?
You can head to our website https://www.nzea.ac.nz/ or give me a call on 021 504 970.
Anyone interested can come and visit the academy, we also host pony club groups and the like to show them what we are all about.
