Which uni?!

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showjump_queen2

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Hello everyone!!
I have recently applied for various horsey courses at uni, and it's coming to deciding which one I want to go to. For me it's a toss up between Hartpury and Sparsholt, and I was wondering does anyone have anymore information or experience with either college? Both would mean living away for me and I don't want to go somewhere with a hostile environment / bad reputation, and I heard somewhere that some employers would never employ someone who went to Hartpury even though it looks mega good :(

I'm happy to go to either college, just wondered what you guys thought of them both and whether the rumours about Hartpury being so hostile are true? Any experience/comments are super helpful!!

Many thanks in advance :)
 
Look back on here for threads on Hartpury posted by potential/current/ex students.

I think students find that what would appear to be offered when you look at the glossy prospectus, is not all it seems when you get there. Large numbers of students and horses, lots of rules, some more petty than others.

Depends what course you want to do, whether you are taking your own horse etc etc. If you are on the Performance scheme (can't remember exactly what it's called), I think you get quite a good deal, otherwise, less good.

If you can find some current/ex students to speak to, I think you would find it revealing.
 
I went to Hartpury. Graduated 10 years ago. You will find my comments on other threads. I didn't like it!

But that was 10 years ago so...
 
Hartpury was awful when I went there! Too many students, terrible lecturers and only interested in money. It might have changed.......
 
I'm a groom/competition groom for a competition yard now, and I honestly love that job more than anything - I was looking to freelance in my gap year and then go to uni in 2017, hoping that my degree would increase my chances of becoming a professional groom or even yard manager
 
Hm... thank you!! Has your degree helped you at all? I was thinking I could just endure the 2 years as long as I get through it with a useful degree, but I'm not sure anymore :/
 
showjump_queen2 said:
I was planning on doing the FdSc Equestrian Performance for 2 years!
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No offence, but having had a look at that degree it appears to just be a degree to become a groom. You'd probably be better off working as a groom or a working pupil in a yard. Tbh, I can't see what advantages you would have from doing the degree.
At least if you skip uni and go straight into work you won't have any debt! :)

If you want to learn more about business side of things why don't you do open university courses or modules online? At least then you will have transferable skills as well & will be more useful than purely equine business :)
 
Thank you! To be fair I've learnt way more from practical experience and just being thrown into working on different yards than I ever have from a textbook - and I'm not sure if a degree is valued more than lots of experience by employers :/

Thank you so much :)
 
I think most top level riders will be far more interested in someone with proper hands on experience that has worked in a busy yard rather than the limited practical work you will get in most uni yards, the pressure in a competition yard is totally different to that in uni, being able to clip efficiently, plait up several horses in half an hour, boot and bandage etc. will be best learnt in the work place.
They will value someone keen to get on, that can work as a team player, is a fast leaner and not looking at their watch or phone far more than having a degree, the degree will be worth very little unless you want to get out of horses at some point but even then it will not really transfer to another career.

If you really want a career as a groom then I would apply to a few yards that are looking for staff and see what you get offered, someone I know was going to Hartbury but started working in a yard during her gap year, she went through the BHS exams, spent time in a few different yards, now has her BHSII and is running a competition yard, riding the owners young dressage horses and teaching as well as competing her own horse up to a good level, she has also taken her HGV license so drives the huge lorry to competitions, Hartbury was not going to help her progress so she decided to give it a miss and has certainly not regretted it.
 
I have to say - to be a groom or yard manager a degree is pretty much useless- if you want to manage the business side you'd be best to do a business type degree rather than an equine studies type degree which is unlikely to get you anywhere- even doing the bhs stages and qualifying as an instructor is likely to be better tbh
 
be positive said:
I think most top level riders will be far more interested in someone with proper hands on experience that has worked in a busy yard rather than the limited practical work you will get in most uni yards, the pressure in a competition yard is totally different to that in uni, being able to clip efficiently, plait up several horses in half an hour, boot and bandage etc. will be best learnt in the work place.
They will value someone keen to get on, that can work as a team player, is a fast leaner and not looking at their watch or phone far more than having a degree, the degree will be worth very little unless you want to get out of horses at some point but even then it will not really transfer to another career.

If you really want a career as a groom then I would apply to a few yards that are looking for staff and see what you get offered, someone I know was going to Hartbury but started working in a yard during her gap year, she went through the BHS exams, spent time in a few different yards, now has her BHSII and is running a competition yard, riding the owners young dressage horses and teaching as well as competing her own horse up to a good level, she has also taken her HGV license so drives the huge lorry to competitions, Hartbury was not going to help her progress so she decided to give it a miss and has certainly not regretted it.
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^^^this^^^

One of my 1st WPs was an ex Hartpury student. She had spent 3 years there, and admittedly had a great time, but to this day, I'm not sure what she had actually studied. She couldn't plait or bandage, and when her own horse went lame, I suggested she put a poultice on. She looked blank and explained that she had been shown by a lecturer at college, but they had never applied one, as they weren't allowed to "treat" college horses.

She had gone there with the aim of getting her BHS stages.......
 
Thank you so much :)

My head girl's advised me against uni too - and told me that practical experience is far more useful to employers nowadays. I'm pretty dead set on horses being my career and although grooms don't earn as much money it's the most hands on, and that's the kind of job I want. Thank you for your advice :)
 
Ditto the others. This isn't even a full degree - its a foundation degree. That is why the entry requirements are so incredibly low. 5 GCSEs and 1 A2? Not even a single full A level. I'm sorry - this is going to land you £18,000+ in debt and with nothing to show for it. An employer would far rather have you with your BHS stages, or Pony Club A test. At least that means something practical. If you want a full degree you need to opt for something which has a "B" in front of it. BSc or BA etc. But even then only opt for that if you have something defined that you want to so and that requires a degree.

I'm actually appalled that colleges can get away with charging the full degree based fee for something that isn't even close to that level of education - let alone actually of benefit in the job market. But then I'm old I guess!
 
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