Oatridge Or Elmwood?

[teamsarazara]

These are the two colleges that i could go to, thought id see what people's opinions were on them before i even research them. I haven't decided what i'm doing but a careers adviser told me i should be applying now. Thanks

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

It depends on what you want to do at the end of the day. I haven't attended either but have dealt with students from both and I have to say Oatridge seems to teach you things a bit more properly than Elmwood - ie Near and Off at Oatridge rather than Left and Right which seems to be the way at Elmwood.

 

[alfiesmum]

get a prospectus from both and compare . also look at travel etc too. they are both good for equine studies if thats what you are looking into. have someone video you riding walk, trot, canter and jumping as they will ask you for one . good luck x

 

[Steffanie]

what about the barony college in dumfries. i went there for two years and i can honestly say it was fantastic, i loved every minute of it and would jump at the shot to go back again. its only a small college but means lots of one to one teaching etc which i think makes all the difference

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

well i did agriculture meny meny years ago at elmwood cupar, way before they did horses so i cant comment on their horse courses!!!! but fantastic student life, in a nice village with plenty of pubs, fast food etc. and relatively cheap living!!

 

[ISH_lover]

I am doing the horse care course at elmwood at the moment and I love it. I have heard a few negative things about oatridge but whether they are true or not I don't know. I have learnt quite a bit at elmwood and their teaching methods are great

 

[teamsarazara]

what about the barony college in dumfries. i went there for two years and i can honestly say it was fantastic, i loved every minute of it and would jump at the shot to go back again. its only a small college but means lots of one to one teaching etc which i think makes all the difference

Is there Accomodation? Its a bit out of my way..

 

[Jenni_]

Neither. Barony!!!!!

I met Steffanie ^^^ there and spent the two most wonderful years of my life there. I still keep in touch with my lecturers aswell.

I looked to do my HND at oatridge and didn't feel it offered the support that the Barony did.

Jackie - the equine tutor at the Barony is an amazing instructor, both in and out the classroom. You will work hard, but love it. She has some amazing stories to tell aswell.

 

[Jenni_]

And yes there's accommodation. I live in Edinburgh and moved down there into the college for 2 years. I actually shared a room with Steffanie untill she -ehhem- left accommodation

 

[AengusOg]

I did a course in general agriculture at Elmwood in 1986, and went back and did an NC in Equine Studies on their first course. In fact, because the facilities were incomplete at the beginning of the first course, I put all the electric fences up at the time.

My plan, then, was to do further courses, but Elmwood didn't offer them as it turned out. I wasn't able to go to Oatridge or Northern College (Caithness), due to family commitments, so the NC was my lot.

I sold a horse to Elmwood, though, and the students seem to love him.

You'd have to look at what's on offer, compare the facilities, and the costs.

The good thing about going to Elmwood is you get to come and see my place of work, and get a demonstration of handling horses and preparing a horse for driving, plus a wee skite round in the carriage. My employer and I have the Elmwood students for a day, and sometimes I go there to do demos.

 

[teamsarazara]

Lol Thankyou, Im from just outside Dundee so definitely a long way to travel however might be worth it. Actually wasn't aware that there was any other colleges that did equine courses! Thanks

 

[Jenni_]

Here's some pictures of my teaching Steff when I was there - I'm the one with the socks ; )

 

[teamsarazara]

Looks good Your like me with the knee high socks lol!

 

[Jenni_]

Those pics were 2007 - and I STILL have a penchant for long socks! I have like 30 pairs lol!

 

[ISH_lover]

I sold a horse to Elmwood, though, and the students seem to love him.

You'd have to look at what's on offer, compare the facilities, and the costs.

The good thing about going to Elmwood is you get to come and see my place of work, and get a demonstration of handling horses and preparing a horse for driving, plus a wee skite round in the carriage. My employer and I have the Elmwood students for a day, and sometimes I go there to do demos.

If you dont mind me asking, is the horse you sold there at the moment? I'm on the course at the moment and love all the horses but have a couple that are my favourites
I'll be looking forward to the demo's

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

We get Oatridge students up for a day every year in December. And every year we tell them that it will be muddy and that they need to wear wellies, jackets and preferably over trousers. And without fail half of the girls turn up dolled up to the nine in little dolly shoes to try and catch the eye of the jockeys. So we walk them through half deep mud to stand up the side of the gallops and I then gallop so close to them they get covered in kick-back and make them jump backwards into more mud I'm sorry but if you can't listen to a simple instruction of wearing wellies then your gonna get it from me

We have had students from both Oatridge and Elmwood for work experience and I'm really sorry but I dread it. I tend to find that you are all taught the prim and proper way of doing things that would take FAR too long in the real world. Within a week we break you down and re-teach you how to do things the racing way. I looked into going to Oatridge when I left school but decided that I didn't want to spend 3 years to get a piece of paper telling me that I ws officially qualified to fill up a water bucket, fill and tie up a haynet and how to pick out a horses foot.

The other option is to go the The British Racing School in Newmrket. They do a 9week course that gives your NVQ Level 1 and guarantees you a job in racing yard at the end of it.

 

[AengusOg]

If you dont mind me asking, is the horse you sold there at the moment? I'm on the course at the moment and love all the horses but have a couple that are my favourites
I'll be looking forward to the demo's

It was Dillon I sold to the college. I bought him as a yearling, and had him for ten years. He was my first youngster, and I broke him to ride and drive.

Looking forward to meeting you and the other students.

 

[teamsarazara]

That's what worries me, my instructor/boss is very old fashioned and not proper lol don't know if id fit in!

 

[AengusOg]

That's what worries me, my instructor/boss is very old fashioned and not proper lol don't know if id fit in!

There are lots of different ways to do things, and employers pay the wages so you do the job they ask for. The more you learn, the more you fit in.

 

[ISH_lover]

Ahh dillon, what a lovely boy he is. Very bouncy and forward going. Lovely to rise. You must have had some wonderful years with him

 

[ISH_lover]

Sorry meant to say lovely to ride

 

[ISH_lover]

Meant to say lovely to ride. Still getting to grips with my phone

 

[AengusOg]

Ahh dillon, what a lovely boy he is. Very bouncy and forward going. Lovely to rise. You must have had some wonderful years with him

He was a great horse to me. Willing, safe, reliable. He had beautiful feather and mane when I had him, too. Despite his years, though, he was still quite green when he went to college. He'd done quite a lot of hacking and a bit of driving round the roads and tracks here, but hadn't really done much more. I think he's had most of his education at college, and he seems to be settled there.

 

[ISH_lover]

He was a great horse to me. Willing, safe, reliable. He had beautiful feather and mane when I had him, too. Despite his years, though, he was still quite green when he went to college. He'd done quite a lot of hacking and a bit of driving round the roads and tracks here, but hadn't really done much more. I think he's had most of his education at college, and he seems to be settled there.

He is a really lovely horse

 

[DreamOfNoReturn]

Well my friend is attending the animal care course at the moment at Elmwood and she seems to be loving it :. I am also considering college soon and possibly an equine course but I have no idea where either. I went to Oatridge on an open day and it seemed pretty decent, the horses there all seemed generally good and they had a variety of breeds/ages/heights and I know of a few people who have attended there and they say it's quite good , I also know that Oatridge allow you to take your own horse to the college but it has to be used for everyone and I know that you can take a horse home from Oatridge over the holidays as well like my friend did, but I don't know myself. Just research them all thoroughly .

 

[GS0188]

Im currently studying at Oatridge doing my final year and can say theres somedays i wish i had left after i had completed my HNC, however some other days when i actually enjoy my HND.

Horses have massivly improved since my first year (3 years ago) and with access to SNEC stables and arenas i couldn't think of a nicer riding environment. HNC is mostly theory stuff, and if i was to give anyone advice i would say go and work for a yard and do your stages, learn how to plait, clip, trim or whatever, as horsey jobs arent really interested in a bit of paper that says you can do this this and this, they would rather you have many years of experience and learn how to do stuff the quick and reliable way, whereas at Oatridge many things are done by the book which waste time and makes things harder for students. Accomodation rates there arent great either, i lived in last year and paid £399 a month, in which in the month of november i got snowed in there they never supplied any extra heating etc and ended up having to turn our flat oven on to heat the place up, the cleaners also never cleaned the accomodation for almost two weeks and if you were stranded there you were expected to go and help with the horses on the yard, even if that wasn't your allocated duties week. For £399 a month i was pretty annoyed to say the least, in the end throughout most of the year we ended up having to do our own cleaning (i know this may sound petty, but to have that included in the price and not have it done for £400 a month, you think they would atleast give you the proper services)

Theres limited stable spaces for students to take their horses on D.I.Y but prices are near £45 a week im sure, and the two turn out fields are attrocious mud baths, and about a 3 mile walk away from accomodation.

Apparently Oatridge and Elmwood are merging together though for the equine courses, so the courses are meant to be having larger numbers, this im unsure will work unless they get more lectureres in, as lectureres being used just now are very stressed and have large numbers of students to lecturer ratio.

On the whole i found my HNC great, but probably because i lived in, met many great people, had many a drunken night and missed many classes because of hangovers, this year not so good, as classes are mostly business based, theres hardly any horse theory, and the class is a nightmare for bitching. If lectureres werent so stressed regarding assingments etc then maybe the students wouldnt be so stressed either, but this again may be down to the limited amount of lectureres available for the large amount of students.

Hope this helps!

 

[Steffanie]

We get Oatridge students up for a day every year in December. And every year we tell them that it will be muddy and that they need to wear wellies, jackets and preferably over trousers. And without fail half of the girls turn up dolled up to the nine in little dolly shoes to try and catch the eye of the jockeys. So we walk them through half deep mud to stand up the side of the gallops and I then gallop so close to them they get covered in kick-back and make them jump backwards into more mud I'm sorry but if you can't listen to a simple instruction of wearing wellies then your gonna get it from me

We have had students from both Oatridge and Elmwood for work experience and I'm really sorry but I dread it. I tend to find that you are all taught the prim and proper way of doing things that would take FAR too long in the real world. Within a week we break you down and re-teach you how to do things the racing way. I looked into going to Oatridge when I left school but decided that I didn't want to spend 3 years to get a piece of paper telling me that I ws officially qualified to fill up a water bucket, fill and tie up a haynet and how to pick out a horses foot.

The other option is to go the The British Racing School in Newmrket. They do a 9week course that gives your NVQ Level 1 and guarantees you a job in racing yard at the end of it.

haha this is fantastic. i used to work with a girl from oatridge both of us finished college at the same time yet she had done an extra year to me and couldn't believe it when i knew more about horses than she did. wasn't long till she said she couldn't cope and threw in the towel and left ( she was also typical oranged face barbie doll type hehehe)

ohhh jenny realy did you have to put those up. OOHHH the shame :O