Program Reviews

Love all the staff members, everyone is very willing to help and passionate about what they do. Sometimes the classes hours are too long, but I like we have rest time in between. All the horses are lovely and had a lot of fun riding.
We were very lucky to make it to the gold cup of the Perth Racetrack, we say the winner race of the 2019. We also went to Luccinda Russel's thoroughbred horses training facility in Kinross, and understand and had a deeper look into their daily routine and how the horses are train and been take care of. We had free days to explore Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Some went to London. The amount of opportunities that you have in this program is amazing. We've met a bunch of local people they are just amazing, people take care of each other.
I am also amazed how much our group have bonded over a month. I enjoyed every moment here !!

This program has been one of the best experiences of my life. The staff, students, and overall population are extremely kind, helpful, and knowledgeable about the topics they are teaching and learning. My only suggestion is to rework the Equine Fitness portion of the classes to have more distinct deadlines and clarity in what is expected for each assignment. Overall I truly enjoyed the content of the classes and gained a lot of knowledge regarding the differences between practices in the United States versus the practices in Scotland and the United Kingdom. I also thoroughly enjoyed the side excursions taken as a class and the ability to have free time so we could travel and develop as individuals. I would highly recommend this program to anyone that is ready to grow as a part of a new family and as an individual.

You learn so much in such a short amount of time, it's amazing to see how far everyone advances in their riding skills. It really helps that the groups are kept small so the learning atmosphere is still personal between you, the rider, and the trainer, as well as being a comfortable group environment. It seems a bit unnerving at first to have to ride in front of other people, but everyone else is in the same boat as you so there isn't any room for judgement or skepticism. The teachers, in the classroom and in the arena, are always there to answer questions and provide any advice they can give you (sometimes whether you like it or not :) ). Even though our entire group came from completely opposite sides of the country, we were still able to relate and bond over this one thing we shared in common. This was such a great experience for not only learning more about Equine Sciences but it was also an unbeatable opportunity to make connections with people within your age group and field of study.

I really enjoyed this experience abroad. The classes were not too demanding and there was a ton of free time for us to explore and do as we pleased. I wish I would've been more aware of the amount of free time we were going to be given because I would have booked more things to do in the city. Riding was of course my favourite part of the program. All the staff and faculty made me feel very welcome and immediately at home. There were plenty of super market trips and the staff was super accommodating to any requests we had. I really enjoyed how hands on the classes were and how willing our instructors were to break anything down for us that we were struggling with. Overall, really great experience. Definitely worth pursuing for those looking to get some travelling under their belt.

This program was a great experience overall. The staff was very welcoming and super helpful throughout the program. The teachers and riding instructors were very well educated and willing to work with the students. I really felt like they cared about our success and wanted us to have a good time here as well. The horses were well cared for which was great to see and the riding lessons were tailored to our various skill levels. The location of the school was very close to Edinburgh and Glasgow was not very far either. It was easy to travel around and we even made it down to London on our free weekend. There were also excursions that were built into the program that was very interesting. We got to visit a large racing yard as well as other really cool places. Overall this experience was great and I highly recommend it to anybody who wants to travel and learn more about horses.

Having ridden saddle seat my whole life, jumping and dressage were foreign concepts to me. I was excited and nervous to learn how to ride the different disciplines, and I was pleased to find out that it was okay that I had no experience in either of them! There were people from all different disciplines and experience levels. The instructors were very nice, helpful, and knowledgeable! I feel like I really learned a lot about the different styles of riding and I feel like I really improved as the weeks went on. Another cool thing about the riding portion of this program was that we were able to ride different horses. Being able to ride different horses helped my riding confidence a lot.

I really enjoyed the academic side of this program, as well! The classes were challenging, but still very fun. The professors are very nice and more than willing to help you succeed. Coming into the program, I had a general understanding of the class material that was covered, but being able to specifically study the equine side of it was a fun change and more within my interests.

it was such a blast here in Scotland! I would suggest that you make sure you bring a big enough jacket because it can get pretty windy and cold here. Also do not forget to bring a rain jacket or an umbrella because it will rain quite a bit. The program was really fun you get to ride four times a week which is exciting if you are someone who does not ride often or has never ridden at all. There is a word requirement on this review which is strange and I am now running out of things to say... we went to the perth races gold cup which is steeple racing and that was pretty fun. At the end of your riding lessons you get to do a "friendly" competition in dressage and jumping which is kind of cool. So if you are considering coming to scotland for education abroad you should do it!

Before coming to this program, I had not ridden in years and my horse experience was rusty at best. I was worried that the program would be geared to people with a lot of horse experience. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all levels of riders and horse experience were accepted. I never felt out of place among beginners and advanced riders. The classes were easy if you have any kind of background in anatomy or physiology and even if you don't, they're not too hard. Our professors/instructors were all very welcoming and would help any way they could.
You get to ride almost every day of the week which helps to break up your class schedule. All of the horses are fantastic and fun to ride. You will change horses almost every lesson so you get to experience lots of different types of horse.
Having not ridden since I was in middle school, I felt very comfortable and at home back in the saddle. The instructors group you into four different groups based on your ability which helps you learn with people similar to you.

Upon arriving to Scotland, I was not sure what to expect. It was cold, wet, and overall dreary. I remember getting on the bus and heading to the SRUC Oatridge Campus, where we had no idea what to expect and we were quite silent. However, the bright and shining Louise was and still is the kindest and most polite person I ever met and she helped me feel right at home.

As the weeks progressed, I came to realize that the students are incredibly willing to help you with anything you need, whether its academically related or not. It all seemed like such a large family. Another week in and I could not feel any more at home. Many students offered to take us to the local restaurants and pubs and immerse ourselves in their culture. Being a shy student from the US, I was humbled by this experience. Never have I seen such acts of kindness and friendship before.

Moving along to the academic side of the program, the staff are incredibly knowledgeable about their subject material. They understand how to communicate the essential information to the students effectively and efficiently. It was truly and enlightening experience and I am glad to bring home exciting new information.

I have been blessed with this experience and opportunity, and I hope to return as soon as possible. The beauty of both the rolling fields and hills did not even compare with the inside beauty of the people.

This program was not only very educational and very applicable to my desired education and future employment, it was also a blast and I made so many friends. The structure of the program balances school work, sight seeing, and English riding lessons very well so you don't feel like you're sitting in a classroom the whole time you're studying abroad. The classes were very hands on and great for students that learn visually and by doing rather than listening to a lecture. There is a lot of freedom given with assignments so it is imperative that you are able to manage your time wisely so you aren't stressed out at the end of the program trying to get everything done all at once. The living accommodations were very nice, my only complaint is that the mattresses are very hard and the pillows are quite thin so I had some issues with back and neck pain for the majority of the trip.