Equine Summer Study Abroad Programs in Scotland

Where to even begin...this program is way more than just a program- it is an experience with memories that will last forever. Scotland for starters, is a beautiful country with some of the nicest people. Arriving to the college the first day, groggy and jet lagged with no idea what to expect, we were all pleasantly surprised at how homey the college feels. We were greeted by the local guys that were taking classes and they always invited us out to the pub and to hang out with them. We had the opportunity to be immersed in their culture, and we could share a bit about our culture as well, and we all seamlessly meshed into a Scottish-American group for the time that the locals were here. The classes were loads of fun, and they really gave us the opportunity to do practical experiences on the horses. The staff at Oatridge were extremely accommodating, and they took us to so many neat cultural places in Scotland for a day off of classes and for adventures. On to the best part- the riding-the yard staff are incredible, and they are so helpful in assisting you to become a better rider. Not to mention the horses are fab, but a few are a wee bit cheeky but entirely loveable. Time goes way too fast while you're here, and you will be tempted to try and bring some of the horses back with you when the program ends. A piece of my heart will always be left behind in Scotland, and I will cherish the memories and experiences I've had here for the rest of my life. I would 100% recommend this program!

This program was really great and allowed me to meet a bunch of new people with different backgrounds riding different horses. The cultural experiences give you a taste of Scottish culture that makes you want to come back and experience more. The staff is all very friendly and willing to help make the program an individual success for each student . I would recommend this program to anyone interested.

This program was fantastic, I have absolutely no complaints about my 4 weeks spent here in Scotland. This campus and staff were welcoming and made for a great trip. | cannot wait to get home and share my amazing experiences with students who wish to go on this trip next year. The trips around Scotland were perfect, it was a good break from campus while also learning more about the Scottish culture and history. I learned so much about the English Discipline, as I came from a Western background. If there was anything I would change about the course, it would be the structure of the fitness course to do be such a large workload. I found it a bit difficult to manage all the new experiences and opportunities, while also completing all the assignments that were assigned in this course.

I loved the combination of class credits and riding time, and the equestrian centre here is top notch. All of the staff are very friendly and willing to help you with anything. You get your own dorm room with a bathroom, along with a common room with a fridge to keep food. There are some planned excursions that are a lot of fun, and also some free weekends where you can do your own thing. It went by very fast but I do think it was a very good amount of time to settle in and get to experience the culture of the area. My only complaint would be that there was limited access to computers, so maybe a bring a laptop with you if you can.

This was a great experience. I love how hands on they were. The lesson horses were wonderful. I definitely would recommend the program to anyone that loves the horse. I enjoyed the outings that they scheduled and I adored the people that ran the program. My favourite part was going to the Scottish Borders to the Floors Castle Stud Farm. All around it was a wonderful trip. I would definitely come back if I had the chance.

The UK has always been one of my favourite places in the world that I had never been to, until now. I found this program by simply doing a google search for equine study abroad in Europe. I knew I wanted a study abroad in Europe working directly with animals. When I found this study I knew it was the one. It has been everything I wanted and so much more. The Scottish people are so very nice and welcoming and so much fun to get on with. The horses were great and so well taken care of. Exploring castles, the countryside, hiking, everything has been the most fun I have had in my entire life. I have wanted to move to Europe for a long time, and now Scotland is a huge consideration for the place I might move. When trying to find somewhere to go or figure out how to get there, all of the people at the college, as well as around the towns, were always ready and willing to help us in any way they could. Louise has to be one of my favourite people here. She is such a nice sweet lady and so much fun to talk to. She instantly me feel welcomed and at home the moment I met her at the airport. I have felt completely at home in this whole country, more so than I do in the States. I absolutely recommend this program and would even do it again myself if I could!

The past four weeks in Scotland has been very enriching, and the courses have been very interesting. Through this program, I have improved my English riding technique, had the opportunity to do small jumps, and dressage work. The instructors for riding will give you many critiques as well as encouragement. There are a variety of horses (and with that, temperaments) here at the stables at the Oatridge campus. The equine anatomy and physiology course has been interactive and hands-on. When we were learning about the muscles and bones of the horse, we had the chance to stick labels on live horses and see where these structures were on the actual animal. We learned about the major organ systems in the class. There was an overview of each system and some details about the types of cells in each system. The equine fitness class has taught me more about the different disciplines that you can train a horse for. I haven't competed with horses while growing up, so this has been a great introduction into eventing, dressage, polo, and other areas of competition. I've also liked getting to see how different muscles and skills are necessary based on the discipline. Overall, I have learned quite a bit from this program from riding to the fitness required for different levels of horse competitions. I have not been a big fan of the food here. The options are different than what I'm used to eating back home. There are usually more options with curry and ALWAYS chips (fries) offered with every meal. However, there is always at least two options for food and supplementary food can be purchased from the nearby "Walmart" (ASDA), which we frequent on a weekly basis for supplies. The landscape of Scotland is truly the rolling green pastures with some mountains in the distance. It's simply gorgeous, and the locals are very friendly. I've also learned more about the culture (including common Scottish lingo) and met people from a wide variety of horsie backgrounds.

I really enjoyed my experience at Oatridge in the Study Abroad program. The classes were very informational and gave me lots of practical knowledge about aspects of horses I hadn't known about. Everyone was so friendly and the activities were very interesting and fun to experience with the girls I met here. I really enjoyed riding the different horses at the yard because they were all different but very well trained. Overall, my experience was phenomenal and I would recommend anyone interested in any kind of Equine profession to come have this experience.