Equine Summer Study Abroad Programs in Scotland

This program was fantastic. I had never ridden a horse before, and I was able to work my way all the way up to a canter by the end of the trip. The staff was very friendly and helpful with anything that I needed. The classes were in depth and very useful. Each class was over a different topic, and the classes helped me learn a lot about anatomy and fitness. The school was a bit far from Edinburgh, but the bus could get you there in about 45 minutes. I would bring a fan because there is no air conditioning.

I had a wonderful time study abroad here. The staff is a great group of people who are here to make sure you are happy and having a good time. The academics were quite straight forward and there is plenty of time to explore the country. Meeting all the horses is super fun and I've grown to really love all of them (especially Dandy<3). The riding lesson instructors were fabulous. They really make sure you are happy with the horse you are on and want to provide you with whatever skill you are asking for. They do try their best to keep the whole group satisfied.

I loved the environment of the campus and support from the staff. Everyone here was very nice and extremely helpful. Being able to easily catch a bus to Edinburgh allows you to be able to explore the city often and see the major tourist sights of Scotland. The riding program was lots of fun and the instructors taught the lessons based on what you wanted to do. It provided a lot of variety and the horses were lovely as well. Overall I had a great experience and I wish I was able to spend more time here.

While in Eccelesmacan the group of us had so much fun riding, going out to the local pub, and taking trips to places like Edinburgh, London, and the Highlands. The school work seemed like it was going to be very easy compared to my home universities version of equine anatomy and in class that is the impression we got, but when taking the exam it was humbling to say the least so don't forget to study for the final because you will definitely need to. I loved the peopled that I was with on the trip but like any group of 15 girls and 1 boy, there was drama.

I had an amazing experience in Scotland on the equine program. The anatomy & physiology course was very informative, although much of the non-horse specific content was a review from previous courses. Although initially preparing for the assessment was slightly stressful, the assessment itself was fair and Louise and Rowan well-prepared us for the assessment. Both of the instructors for the course were amazing and I couldn't speak higher praises of them! The fitness course was all new material for me but Jen and Gillian presented the information and provided feedback in a manner that helped us to grow and understand the new field! They were both amazing instructors and helped us to correct our fitness plans and complete our workbook assessment without too much of an overload of new content at once. I loved living in the Scottish countryside with ample hiking opportunities and great food (although there are a lot of chips). The accommodations were private with private bathrooms which was very nice but we still had community areas available to utilize. The temperature was warmer than I expected with an average of 60s Fahrenheit. I wish I had brought more warmer weather clothing than I did. There is no central air in the flats, but I didn't mind the temperature at all. As someone with limited riding experience, I was worried for the riding portion but Sam was always very supportive of everyone and tailored the lessons to your skill level and comfort! During my free weekends, I visited Inverness and the Isle of Skye and Northern Ireland and I highly recommend both locations! One point to note is that the Oatridge campus is in rural West Lothian and it takes approximately an hour to 90 minutes by bus to get to Edinburgh depending on the wait time. We did spend a lot time waiting on buses and taxis which showed up sporadically sometimes rather early or late. The X18 bus into Edinburgh from Uphall was particularly bad at showing up on time. Although I was able to plan my time, I do wish that the full itinerary had been released earlier to allow for more planning and cheaper prices as much of the accommodation and many tours were booked out by the time we had the schedule. Overall, I had a great experience and everyone I met from the faculty and staff to my new friends here have been great, kind, and supportive! I highly recommend this study abroad to Scotland!

I loved the staff at SRUC!! The professors were warm and welcoming and they did a great job at making sure we had a healthy balance between school and fun. This program has a fun aspect of allowing you to choice what you want to do, which i really liked. If there is a tour or a city you want to go to you have the freedom to do so! I really liked the independence. super friendly staff, sadly felt like they tried to cover too many topics in such a short time. Which is a shame since i felt like i had more whistle stop tours on a topic then indepth education.

I recommend this program to anyone interested! I had no horse experience prior to this trip and felt extremely at ease throughout the program with what we were learning and doing. The staff of the campus was amazing. The teachers were phenomenal instructors that showed that they cared about their students. The trainers were so patient and accommodating to the differing levels of experience within the group. Some things that I wish I had known prior to this trip:
-Campus is relatively far from the city. If you use public transportation, it takes around an hour to get there. You can either take 2 buses or you can take 1 bus, walk 20 minutes to Uphall train station and then take a train to the city. Taxis are also an option but can be slightly expensive at times.
-Pack a VARIETY of clothes--light jacket, warm jacket, lightweight pants, jeans, shorts (for good days), TONS of layering clothes! The weather is unpredictable.
-BRING SUNSCREEN and wear it

I loved being able to take the time to enjoy the country as an adult compared to the last time I came at the age of 16. I got to explore so much more both independently and with the other members of my group. All of the staff and professors were really kind and gave wonderful feedback and advice for anything you could possibly ask for. My biggest irritation came with the public transportation system and cab companies due to the campus being so far out. It would take a fair amount of preplanning around bus times and the cabs were typically late by around 20 minutes. After a while we learned to role with it and still managed to fully explore all the things we wanted. I had a great time with everybody on my trip and would highly recommend this to anyone involved in animal science or with an interest in horses. The staff and professors were amazing in everything they did and were always willing to help with whatever they could if you asked. I will remember this trip for the rest of my life going forward and hope many people in the future can experience the same opportunity that I did.