Rebecca Brassington
“I love being able to empower and inspire students, enabling and equipping them with the skills, knowledge and understanding to become the next generation of equine professionals.”
Rebecca is a senior fellow at UCBB with a wealth of industry and academic experience. She is the lead on Equine behaviour and welfare.
With a background in microbiology, she worked for years as an equine therapist before moving into academia at UCBB. With a Post-grad Diploma - McTimoney Corley Animal Manipulation under her belt she has been involved in numerous research projects looking at equine kinematics on the water treadmill, equine behaviour, and equine injury. She has also been involved in a number of scholarly activities, including conferences, poster presentations and publications.
Rebecca teaches sport injury and diagnostics, utilising her work experience in therapy and professional laboratory work to equip students with the applied skills and knowledge for their next steps in this exciting and rapidly-advancing sector.
Rebecca’s educational and employment background is in Microbiology, and she enjoys inspiring tomorrow’s microbiologists through teaching lab-based skills which may help towards future roles in laboratories. For 9 years she worked as an equine therapist, an extremely rewarding role which Rebecca channelled into academia by developing the Equine Therapy & Rehabilitation programmes at Bishop Burton College from 2010.
A graduate of Bishop Burton herself, Rebecca undertook her PGCE and ILM Level 5 at the college whilst contributing to various research articles, and went on to achieve her post-grad Diploma in McTimoney Corley Animal Manipulation and an MSc in Equine Science.
Rebecca’s research is wide and varied, and focuses on equine kinematics on the water treadmill, equine behaviour, and equine injury. Over the years, she has supported a number of students in research presented at international conferences, and is also a cited author on ten academic publications.
Her extensive experience gave Rebecca the opportunity to form part of the committee tasked with developing Equine Hydrotherapy Qualifications with ABC. Various higher education institutions across the UK have also welcomed Rebecca as an external examiner for equine degree programmes. She is also heavily involved with equine events at the college, particularly the annual Youth Championships where she supports participants and leads on prize giving ceremonies.
Rebecca teaches on Equine behaviour and welfare modules. She encourages a research and scientifically informed approach to day-to-day equine interactions and training; her delivery of practical sessions utilises state of the art equipment and provides opportunities to apply theory to practice. Students under her leadership develop confidence and comprehension of the principles of equitation science, and explore how the horse has evolved to help our understanding of behaviour expression. The module boasts in-depth discussion of current welfare practices across the equine industry, the cornerstone of all our equine degree programmes.
Rebecca teaches on all Equine courses at the college, and is particularly proud to tutor the Equine Sport Injury and Diagnostic module. This module fosters an appreciation for the pathology of injury whilst ensuring a currency in the latest treatments and management options to inform our practices and help students to liaise confidently with veterinary practitioners. The module features a series of laboratory diagnostic techniques which prepare students for work in veterinary and medical settings by developing both practical skills and a sound theoretical understanding.
“Working and studying here at Bishop Burton is truly a dream for any equine enthusiast. The grounds, teaching staff, and facilities are truly second to none,” Rebecca says. “I continue to enjoy riding in my spare time. I ride my ex-racehorse, who is now 22 years old, regularly and we have a steady time enjoying schooling and hacking.”