What are the best equestrian colleges?
I’m mainly interested in huntseat and dressage, and I’ve been looking around for colleges since I’m in high school. I’m talking about a college that lets you be around horses several times a week, not just once a week. I’m interested in equine business or equine studies or equine journalism. I live on the East Coast and would prefer to stay to the east, but as long as it’s a good college, I’m willing to go anywhere in the US. What are your opinions for the best horse colleges around, with the best facilities and programs?
Well, I started off at an equine school, the University of Findlay in Ohio. While searching for a school, I also looked at Sweet Briar, Virginia Intermont, Lake Eerie College, Mount Holyoke, and Centenary College. They were all good schools with slightly different equine emphases. I settled on UF because you spent the most time in the saddle and I received a hefty scholarship offer.
However, I really hated the equine program at my school. I don’t want to go into huge details, I just disagreed with some of the practices going on there and I thought some of the horses shouldn’t be pushed the way they were. I also quickly realized that an equine degree was not really worth much after college since most major barns don’t know what to do with them. There are no set standards for equine programs, so trainers don’t know what you learned. The best colleges offer internships at top barns, but these programs are usually short. I ended up leaving the program to go work as a working student for a Grand Prix show jumper. This was the better option for me personally because I made some great connections, got my name in the horse world, and had the opportunity to travel and show at some great competitions.
If you have your heart set on working with horses, I highly recommend you skip the equine degree and get real world experience with the best trainer you can find. By all means get your degree, but major in something else that interests you. Every college with an equine program will encourage you to double-major anyway, since they know it’s hard to do anything with an equine studies degree alone.
If you’re like me, you’re probably brushing off this advice, because that’s what I did. I learned the hard way and I could have saved myself thousands of dollars and a lot of wasted time if I’d taken this same advice. Of course, every school is different and times are changing. But I still don’t put much faith in equine degrees. Applicants who come to me for jobs are judged on the amount of real world experience they’ve had: who they’ve trained with, how much they’ve shown, and what they’ve won. The degree never enters the equation.
Also, the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association can be a great way to stay involved with horses while you’re at college. There are IHSA riding teams at over 400 schools now, and many practice 3 times a week or more. They’re active at a variety of schools and they can be a great way to stay active in the show world without needing your own horse. There are downsides to the IHSA, too, since they’re no guaranteeing what horse you’ll ride and that can play a big part in your placing. But it is something to consider.
If you’re set on equine school check out http://horsesmarts.com/ for information on all schools with equine programs and IHSA riding teams. Best of luck.
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