Horse environments change the risk picture fast. A calm horse can panic in seconds, and a routine job can become an emergency before anyone has time to think. REACHAU delivers nationally recognised first aid training on site at stables, agistment centres, riding schools, pony clubs and rural properties across Perth and regional Western Australia.
Generic workplace first aid assumes a predictable indoor environment, a mobile signal and an ambulance a few minutes away. Horse work meets none of those assumptions. The animal weighs half a tonne, the ground is hard, the spaces are tight, and on many WA properties the nearest hospital is a long drive away.
Being pinned against a wall, gate, float or fence. Chest and pelvic crush injuries can look survivable and deteriorate quickly.
A kick delivers enormous force to a small area. Abdominal and head kicks cause internal bleeding that is not visible from outside.
Head, spine and limb injuries from height and speed. Helmets reduce severity but do not remove the need for a trained response.
A foot caught in a stirrup after a fall. One of the highest-consequence equestrian incidents and one of the least rehearsed.
On regional properties an ambulance can be 30 to 90 minutes away. Whoever is standing there is the medical response for that period.
Crush and degloving injuries to hands and forearms from lead ropes, bites and gates. Often under-reported until infection sets in.
The numbers back this up. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare recorded close to 2,100 injury hospitalisations from equestrian activities in 2024 to 2025. Fractures made up more than half of them. Intracranial injuries accounted for around 200 cases, roughly 83 per cent of which were concussions. The most commonly injured body regions were the trunk, the shoulder and upper limb, and the head and neck.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Sports injury in Australia, equestrian activities, 2024 to 2025.
The right course is decided by one question more than any other: how long until professional help arrives? Use the table as a starting point, then talk to us about your property.
| Course | Best suited to | Covers | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| HLTAID011 Provide First Aid | Stables, riding schools and agistment centres within about 30 minutes of emergency help | The workplace first aid standard. DRSABCD, CPR, bleeding, fractures, head injury, anaphylaxis, asthma | 3 years, CPR annually |
| HLTAID013 Provide First Aid in Remote or Isolated Site | Rural and regional properties, trail riding businesses and anywhere help is more than 30 minutes away | Everything in HLTAID011 plus extended casualty management, improvised equipment, evacuation and communication planning | 3 years, CPR annually |
| HLTAID009 Provide CPR | Annual refresher for anyone already holding a first aid certificate | CPR and defibrillator use for adults, children and infants | 12 months |
| HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting | Riding schools and pony clubs running lessons or programs for children | First aid tailored to children, including asthma and anaphylaxis management | 3 years, CPR annually |
The baseline qualification for most equestrian workplaces. Delivered on site at your property.
Built for properties and rides where the ambulance is a long way off and the response falls to your team.
The annual refresher that keeps your first aiders current between full certificate renewals.
If you employ people, take paying clients, run lessons or host events, you are almost certainly a person conducting a business or undertaking under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA). That brings a duty to plan for what happens when something goes wrong.
Handling, mounting, floats, machinery, ground conditions and the tasks people actually perform day to day, not a generic template.
Kits that suit horse injuries, located where incidents happen, checked and restocked after use.
Enough trained people to cover the hours you operate, including weekends, events and early starts.
Who calls 000, who meets the ambulance at the gate, who holds the horses, where the property GPS coordinates are written down.
A horse that spooked at the same drain twice is telling you something. Records also matter for insurance and regulator questions.
How many first aiders do you need? WA does not set one fixed number. WorkSafe WA's First aid in the workplace code of practice says the answer depends on the nature of the work, the hazards, the size and location of the workplace, the number of people there, and the distance to the nearest medical or ambulance service. A remote property with high-risk work needs more coverage than a small suburban yard.
Training and assessment is delivered by Regional Education and Career Help Australia on behalf of ABC First Aid RTO 3399. This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with WorkSafe WA and your insurer.
Five practical resources for equine business owners, stable managers, riding instructors and trail ride operators. Print them, fill them in, keep them on file.
Free. No cost, no obligation, yours to print and use across your property.
Straight answers to what stable owners, instructors and pony club committees ask us most.
Most equestrian workplaces need at least one person holding HLTAID011 Provide First Aid.
If your property is more than 30 minutes from emergency help, HLTAID013 Provide First Aid in Remote or Isolated Site is the more appropriate qualification. Riding schools and pony clubs working with children should consider HLTAID012. The full certificate is renewed every three years and CPR every 12 months.
Fractures, head injuries and crush injuries dominate.
Australian hospital data for 2024 to 2025 shows fractures made up more than half of equestrian injury hospitalisations, with intracranial injuries accounting for around 200 cases, most of them concussions. The trunk, shoulder and upper limb, and head and neck were the most commonly injured regions. Chest and abdominal crush injuries are especially dangerous because they can look manageable at first.
Yes. On-site delivery is available across Perth and regional WA for groups of four or more.
We bring the equipment and run the training in your own environment, using scenarios drawn from the work your team actually does. Training at your property means no travel time for staff and a course that reflects your real ground conditions, access points and response distances.
The content is the same nationally recognised unit. The scenarios are not.
A nationally recognised unit has set requirements, so the certificate you receive is identical. What changes is the practice. We work through horse-specific situations: managing a casualty while a frightened animal is still loose, moving someone off soft or uneven ground, what to do when the incident happens in a paddock a kilometre from the gate, and how to hand over clearly when the ambulance finally arrives.
In practice, yes. Insurers and peak bodies almost always require it even where legislation is not specific.
Check the conditions attached to your public liability policy and any requirements set by your discipline's state body. Events bring spectators, volunteers and higher horse numbers into one place, which raises both the likelihood and the consequence of an incident.
There is no single number set in WA law.
WorkSafe WA's first aid code of practice bases the answer on the nature of the work, the hazards present, the size and location of the workplace, how many people are there, and how far away the nearest medical or ambulance service is. A practical rule for equestrian sites is to have a trained first aider present during every session or shift where horses are being handled, including weekends.
Volunteer organisations still owe a duty of care, particularly when children are involved.
Even where an organisation is not a workplace in the strict sense, running activities for other people's children creates a duty of care under common law and usually under your insurer's conditions. Having trained volunteers on the grounds is both a protection for the club and a genuine safeguard for the riders.
HLTAID011 is usually a single day. The certificate lasts three years, with CPR refreshed annually.
HLTAID013 runs longer because of the extended casualty management content. HLTAID009 CPR refreshers are short and can often be run at your property around feed and lesson times.
A standard workplace kit is a starting point, not a finish line.
Equestrian sites should add trauma dressings for serious bleeding, extra compression and triangular bandages, a thermal blanket for shock, a CPR face shield, and irrigation for wound cleaning. Keep a kit at the stable and a compact kit that travels with the float or on the trail. Check contents before events and restock immediately after any use.
Secure the horse first, then assess the casualty using DRSABCD and call 000 for any kick to the head, chest or abdomen.
Do not approach until the animal is controlled or moved away, or you risk a second casualty. Treat any kick to the torso as a potential internal injury even if the person says they are fine, because internal bleeding is not visible and symptoms can be delayed. Keep the person still and warm, monitor their breathing and consciousness, and be ready to start CPR.
Do not move them unless they are in immediate danger, and call 000.
Keep the rider still, support the head in the position found, and leave the helmet on unless it is blocking the airway. Any loss of consciousness, confusion, vomiting or memory gap after a fall needs medical assessment, and the rider should not get back on that day. Concussion is the most under-treated equestrian injury there is.
Yes. Regional and remote delivery is a core part of what REACHAU does.
We travel to properties across regional WA, and HLTAID013 exists precisely for sites where help is a long way away. Get in touch with your location and group size and we will put together a quote that includes travel.
On-site delivery for stables, agistment centres, riding schools, pony clubs and event grounds across Perth and regional WA. Groups of four or more. Tell us about your property and we will build the training around it.
In an emergency, call 000. Training complements but does not replace professional emergency response.
The 30 minute rule, and why remote properties need more than the standard certificate.
Practical articles on CPR, bleeding, anaphylaxis and workplace emergency planning.
Every nationally recognised course we deliver, with dates and on-site options.