Celebrating the first apprentice to complete the VetSkill Level 2 End-Point Assessment for Equine Groom (driving)

Exciting news! Toby Lawless at Equestrian Training Ltd is the first apprentice to complete the VetSkill Level 2 End-Point Assessment (EPA) for Equine Groom on the driving pathway, passing with flying colours.

Toby shares:

“I want to thank the teams at Equestrian Training Ltd and VetSkill for all their help. I am pleased to have completed this EPA and achieved a Pass grade. It’s been good fun, and I would definitely advise others to do it”.

His apprenticeship was completed with Equestrian Training Ltd, an equine training provider based in Cumbria and the surrounding counties, offering innovative and high-quality learning experiences. While we celebrate a ‘first’ for VetSkill, Toby’s achievement also represents a ‘last’, being the training provider’s final apprentice.

Director at Equestrian Training Ltd, Amy Hodgson, says:

“Toby was our last apprentice after 12 years of delivering equine apprenticeships. He received training from a specialist in the driving world, Arminta Winn, both in the workplace and at Minta's equestrian establishment. This allowed him to focus on his skills and knowledge while working at Waldburg Shires with their stunning Shire horses and fill any skills gaps to ensure he met the standards at Minta's training centre. Additionally, he attended weekly online sessions to enhance his theoretical knowledge, making his training comprehensive and effective.

I was incredibly relieved when VetSkill stepped in and provided us with an assessor for Toby, especially since we had been struggling for four months to find one through other EPAOs without any success. I found VetSkill's approach to be pragmatic, and they truly understood the importance of Toby completing his assessment, just as I did.

Thank you, VetSkill, for enabling Equestrian Training to successfully complete our final apprentice, resulting in all our remaining apprentices achieving their qualifications. It’s a positive note to end on as we turn our focus to our riding and training centre, Bell House Equestrian Ltd.”

The Equine Groom is a fundamental occupational role in all equine businesses and plays an integral role in the life of the horse, providing essential day-to-day care. They use their theoretical knowledge and understanding, practical experience and empathy to maintain the horse’s physical and psychological wellbeing within a safe working environment.

Toby followed the occupational route of driving during his apprenticeship, gaining the practical skills and knowledge to harness and drive carriages, where two- or four-wheeled carriages are pulled by a single horse, pair, tandem or four-in-hand team. 

Huge congratulations to Toby for this achievement and thank you to Equestrian Training Ltd who have been fantastic to work with throughout the process. We are ecstatic for the VetSkill EPA team to see the brilliant result of their hard work developing this EPA.

Learn more about VetSkill’s EPAs here. For further information on becoming an approved VetSkill centre, please visit: Become a Centre — VetSkill. Kiera from the VetSkill Quality Assurance Team will be in contact to arrange an initial meeting to discuss the process and provide support and guidance throughout.