William Woods University questions?
1. Would getting an Equestrian Science degree be worth it? I always thought college debt would be worse than just working extra hard without a degree, but i’ve been wanting to learn hands on first aid and training for horses and they offer that. Would a degree be worth anything in the horse world?
2. What should I expect?
3. Is it hard to get into?
https://www.thewoods.edu/academics/eqs/eqsvideo.asp
I went to Wilson College and got an equestrian degree, and to be honest I don’t think it’s worth it. People in the horse world don’t really respect the degree. They’d hire somebody with 2 years experience and no degree anyday over somebody fresh out of school with a degree and no experience. And working to get 2 years experience actually pays YOU, while with the degree you pay through the nose. I think your best bet would be to find a really good working student program. Normally a working student works for free or for a small stipend. You should get free housing, board for your horse, and lessons/training. Choose your program carefully however. Some farms see working students as free labor and give you nothing in return. But a good place will mentor you, get you some valuable show experience, and help prepare you for a career.
If you want to go to college (and it is a good idea) I actually suggest you NOT get an equestrian degree, or double major in equestrian AND something else. A business degree is a good idea. Most equestrian operations fail to make money because of poor business skills, not poor equestrian skills. And then if you ever got burned out on horses and decided to get a “real job” you’d be able to put that business degree to use. Of all my friends that graduated from Wilson with equestrian degrees, the only ones I know of still in the equestrian field are the ones who either inherited the family farm or established their own farm with money from family or a rich husband. The ones who had no family $ to use have all given up eventually and gotten a non-horse job.
Oh, and William Woods is not highly competitive so it’s not hard to get into. You will need decent grades and SAT scores, but you don’t need straight A’s or anything.
Equine Science at the University of Minnesota, Crookston
