College course - Online Learning Vs Physical school

[kitofkat19]

Hey everyone, im from Scotland, Edinburgh and im looking to study horse care in preparation of me getting my first horse. I know somethings but not as much as i would like therefore I feel as i would benefit from a course or two

I tried doing a biology online course a little while ago but sadly it didnt work out for me due to not getting help from the college, losing the motivation, bad living situations etc. I also feel like i would get better results if i went to a physical school

Ideally I would like to go back to college to study biology and horse care now im in a better place however its means giving up my job which i have quite a bit of flexibility with. I also would have to give up my other activities, horse share and life goals ( Only for a short while, if i went to a physical school)

What do you guys think I should do? Should i leave my job etc. and go to college physical giving my up flexibility and good job for better results or should I try going online again now im in a better place and can get more support from my loved ones

Ps. I may also not get any funding from being at college but im not sure due to me living with my parents

 

[Arzada]

Have you considered an evening class for Biology and working in your spare time at eg a riding school/livery yard etc?

 

[mariew]

You have. To be super motivated for online only learning. I'm guessing biology and horse care can be learned separately. Maybe there's a BHS riding school that can do the horse care bit? Are you looking for a biology type job?

 

[TPO]

Don't quit your job just to learn more about horses!

Lots you can do around earning your own money to learn more.

Join a riding club (even as an unmounted member) and go to talks, to watch lessons and volunteer to help.

Lots of vets do talk nights (on zoom for now) about various topics. Central Equine Vets are Edinburgh so sign up online for emails and/or follow them on social media.

Look into doing your BHS stages and/or attend their stable management courses etc

How old are you? Do you fit in pony club age bracket? If so you can go without a horse and do the training to attain your badges and some clubs hire ponies out.

Go for riding lessons and build a relationship with a good riding school. See if you can help out there in exchange for hands on experience

 

[bonnysmum]

I was always in favour of online learning until my son's experience this year with an online college course. Absolutely awful, he's found it really hard to learn anything, technical problems galore stopping the teacher from joining sessions, etc. etc. I now think in person every time, especially for a vocational subject.

 

[kitofkat19]

Don't quit your job just to learn more about horses!

Lots you can do around earning your own money to learn more.

Join a riding club (even as an unmounted member) and go to talks, to watch lessons and volunteer to help.

Lots of vets do talk nights (on zoom for now) about various topics. Central Equine Vets are Edinburgh so sign up online for emails and/or follow them on social media.

Look into doing your BHS stages and/or attend their stable management courses etc

How old are you? Do you fit in pony club age bracket? If so you can go without a horse and do the training to attain your badges and some clubs hire ponies out.

Go for riding lessons and build a relationship with a good riding school. See if you can help out there in exchange for hands on experience

I'm 19 so I don't think I'm able to join a riding/pony club sadly and I've also tried building up a relationship before I got my share but the yard I was at wasn't really any good when it came to stuff like that as they didn't really show you around/ showed you how to do anything you didnt understand such as leading a horse or tacking up etc. (at least that's how i feel) I also didn't have a good time with the other yard that i live close too.

 

[kitofkat19]

You have. To be super motivated for online only learning. I'm guessing biology and horse care can be learned separately. Maybe there's a BHS riding school that can do the horse care bit? Are you looking for a biology type job?

There's only one yard that does BHS horse care but it really far from where I live sadly (the only way around it was if I stayed at my workplace and went to the yard weekend or after work) however I'm not looking into a biology job, it just more so in case I wanna take my horse care to a higher level as some courses ask that you have biology

 

[Arzada]

There's only one yard that does BHS horse care but it really far from where I live sadly (the only way around it was if I stayed at my workplace and went to the yard weekend or after work)

I posted this on a previous thread

I changed riding schools to a small one run by an event rider. There were about 10 horses and ponies in total and 3 working pupils. About 4 of the horses were competition horses and if they were used in the school it would be by the working pupils. The school horses and ponies averaged about 1 lesson a day at weekends and during the week they were ridden in lessons by the working pupils. After a few lessons and liking the people and the way the horses were treated I asked if I could train there and take the BHS exams. I worked 37 hrs pw Monday to Friday in an office and Saturday and Sunday at the yard from 0700 to 1800, sometimes later if horses had been hunting. I did this for about a year and passed the exams.

 

[JackFrost]

Don't give up your job. If your reason for doing the course is to get your first horse, nothing beats hands on experience. An online course can't give you that. Once you have the basics, studying more theoretical stuff online makes some sense, but you need Real Life skills first.
Why the biology? Are you actually looking for a career change?
I spent a wonderful week as a non paid helper at a trekking centre in Scotland. Is this something you could do in your holiday/annual leave time?

 

[TPO]

I'm 19 so I don't think I'm able to join a riding/pony club sadly and I've also tried building up a relationship before I got my share but the yard I was at wasn't really any good when it came to stuff like that as they didn't really show you around/ showed you how to do anything you didnt understand such as leading a horse or tacking up etc. (at least that's how i feel) I also didn't have a good time with the other yard that i live close too.

Do you drive? If not I'd keep working and aim to get your license and a car. Being mobile will open up lots more options.

At 19 you can definitely join a riding club and possibly pony club. Their age limit went up to 25 but I'm not sure if you needed to join before you were 18.

Honestly, do not quit your job to study for horse ownership/not to further your career.

Geography isn't my strong point but Houston Farm with Fiona Flynn is highly recommended and Tower Farm seems to have a good reputation. Are any of those accessible for you?

Do you get lessons on your share horse? Can you soed time with the owner to learn how they do things.

I could be wrong but I don't think there is a full time horse biology course? You can do an online anatomy course with Equinenery (EQ050 I think) and I'm sure that there are similar courses is anatomy is your thing.

A biology qualification specifically won't help with general horsemanship and every day skills like leading and tacking up.

Back in the day stables used to run "own a pony" days and weeks where they would teach and supervise you handling horses, stable management and riding. Might be worth asking around to see of that sort of thing still happened.

If reading is your thing there is a literal tonne of books. I highly recommend a lot of Susan McBanes for a good foundation.

Not really my thing but I'm lead to believe there is everything on YouTube. I'm sure if you searched for leading and tacking up etc you'd find a lot of how to videos

 

[stangs]

If you quit your job, how are you going to fund your future horse?

Best way to get horse care experience is volunteering ime, whether that be at a regular RS, trekking centre or an RDA centre. Theory should supplement hands on experience - so books, part-time/short-term online courses, and there's lots of webinars available, free and paid, that can boost your knowledge as well, but tend to involve more specialised knowledge than you'll need for your first horse.

 

[kitofkat19]

Do you drive? If not I'd keep working and aim to get your license and a car. Being mobile will open up lots more options.

At 19 you can definitely join a riding club and possibly pony club. Their age limit went up to 25 but I'm not sure if you needed to join before you were 18.

Honestly, do not quit your job to study for horse ownership/not to further your career.

Geography isn't my strong point but Houston Farm with Fiona Flynn is highly recommended and Tower Farm seems to have a good reputation. Are any of those accessible for you?

Do you get lessons on your share horse? Can you soed time with the owner to learn how they do things.

I could be wrong but I don't think there is a full time horse biology course? You can do an online anatomy course with Equinenery (EQ050 I think) and I'm sure that there are similar courses is anatomy is your thing.

A biology qualification specifically won't help with general horsemanship and every day skills like leading and tacking up.

Back in the day stables used to run "own a pony" days and weeks where they would teach and supervise you handling horses, stable management and riding. Might be worth asking around to see of that sort of thing still happened.

If reading is your thing there is a literal tonne of books. I highly recommend a lot of Susan McBanes for a good foundation.

Not really my thing but I'm lead to believe there is everything on YouTube. I'm sure if you searched for leading and tacking up etc you'd find a lot of how to videos

Currently i dont drive but I am learning at the moment. At my share someone does do lessons but i have to pay extra on top of my sharers fees and other expenses for it plus the school is tiny and not really any good for much.

I also had a lesson at Tower farm (which is quite close by) when i was first time learning to ride and i didnt enjoy very much however i did also try out Lasswades riding school (also another one that is close by) and I enjoyed it there a lot more. I also did look at Houston Farm just last night and they offer a Stable mangamnet courses for like 45 mins - 1hr for about £20 that BHS apporved however its just over an jour bus journey unless i can get one of my family members to drop me off or wait until I pass my bike lessons (hoping to be really soon).

So it sounds like Houston Farm is ideal for what im looking for

 

[Umbongo]

Definitely don't quit your job to learn more about horse care. Why the biology? A biology course won't teach you much about horse care. If you want to learn more about biology because you want a career in it then go for it!

Agree with everyone else re: see if you can volunteer somewhere for hands on experience. Riding schools, RDA, pony club, local shows etc.
Some yards do stable management lessons. See if you can join a pony club, look into the BHS stages?

When I was younger I learnt a lot through volunteering at the local riding school and reading every horse care book I could find.