Dr Mark Barnett

Plenty of horsing around

Mark Barnett's career had already had more twists and turns than a campdrafting arena when he arrived at UNE in 2003. A keen horse sports competitor, who grew up on his parents' Australian Stock Horse stud, he'd spent 15 years working variously as an accountant, grain trader, horse trainer and leading stockman when university loomed large.

"I was 33 and was meant to have my career all sorted out, but here I was starting all over again," Mark says. "I didn't do any science at school and was looking to do a predominantly science degree. I didn't think I could handle a Bachelor of Rural Science at all, so I started with the Bachelor of Agriculture. I had the mindset that this was my last shot."

But Mark surprised even himself, doing so well that he was soon able to transfer to a Bachelor of Livestock Science. "Being older, I was much more focused and I just got in and did it," he said. "It was the pathway I wanted."

With Livestock Science (and first class honours) under his belt, Mark returned to UNE in 2010 to tackle a PhD in animal physiology and nutrition, with a new partner and two children in tow. He and Tracey had three more, including twin boys born two months premature, during his candidature.

Today, Mark is just one of a handful of equine nutritionists in Australia and runs his own consultancy and product development business in the heart of thoroughbred country - Scone in the Hunter region of NSW.

"Having ridden and shown horses all my childhood, and become a polocrosse and campdraft competitor, I guess I was always destined to have something to do with horses," Mark said. "But my UNE experience taught me so much; it enabled me to much better understand the science and reasoning behind equine nutrition while also understanding what's happening inside the horse. Few nutritionists know the internal effects or why certain feeds cause a change in behaviour, condition or soundness."

The experience also left Mark with some lifelong friendships - including those with his PhD supervisor, Professor Roger Hegarty, and honours supervisor Professor Jim McFarlane, who Mark credits with inspiring him to complete his PhD, on methane mitigation in ruminants. "The birth of the boys was a very stressful time on top of doing my PhD, but I had very good support from UNE, particularly Professor Hegarty and his wife," Mark said."Being that little bit older made it easier for me to build a rapport with more senior staff."

A short post-doctoral project propelled Mark into an animal and equine nutrition lecturing role at Charles Sturt University before he struck out on his own. And although 2020 has been a challenging year in business, Mark says a few adjustments to his model and a little less travelling have kept MTB Equine Services trotting forward. "This also meant no Government support of any kind, but I'm proud of the fact that our business has progressed without needing assistance," he said.

Advising clients on different feed combinations for their horses and approaches to feeding, Mark constantly strives "to produce better quality and unique products". He believes his studies at UNE equipped him in many important ways.

"The different experiences I had at UNE, in the lab and handling animals, the insight into how things work and how people think all gave me a logical and practical approach and I take that into my business every day," Mark said.