Colleges

[EventerOP]

Does anyone have any recommendations of schools that have equine majors/minors? My sister is a great rider and its about time for her to start looking.

[AKB]

University of Maryland, College Park. Your sister will need very good grades and SAT scores to get into UMD, but it is a great school.

[tcgelec]

Is there any specific discipline that she is interested in pursuing? Also, do you have a geographical area in mind? Our Samantha is just finishing up her freshman year at The University of Findlay in Ohio.

An Equine Studies major, she realized in her first year that horses are her passion but not necessarily what she wants as her career. She has switched majors and is now a Psych major with an Equine Studies minor. She will stay at Findlay for another year, the transfer to a non-horsey school, probably in the Boston area, to pursue her major. She wants to pick up her Associates Degree in Equine Studies at Findlay, just so she has something to show for all the work that she and Bella, her young Arab mare, put into it. But she is now decidedly unconvinced of the value of a degree in the real-life horse world...except if you want to work/teach at a college.

When we were seeking out horsey schools, our second choice was Centenary, in New Jersey, and our third was Johnson + Wales in Providence. Each has their own unique attributes. However, Findlay was the ONLY school we found that allowed Sam to take her own horse, and work with her exclusively in the program. Many other schools had either no or very limited accommodation for student horses, and some required that if the horse were accepted, that it join the school horse line and be used by the rest of the students as well.

So our decision ended up being pretty easy, at the time. It was the only school that could accommodate Bella on Sam's terms.

[Liebe-ist-Krieg]

Is there any specific discipline that she is interested in pursuing? Also, do you have a geographical area in mind? Our Samantha is just finishing up her freshman year at The University of Findlay in Ohio.

An Equine Studies major, she realized in her first year that horses are her passion but not necessarily what she wants as her career. She has switched majors and is now a Psych major with an Equine Studies minor. She will stay at Findlay for another year, the transfer to a non-horsey school, probably in the Boston area, to pursue her major. She wants to pick up her Associates Degree in Equine Studies at Findlay, just so she has something to show for all the work that she and Bella, her young Arab mare, put into it. But she is now decidedly unconvinced of the value of a degree in the real-life horse world...except if you want to work/teach at a college.

When we were seeking out horsey schools, our second choice was Centenary, in New Jersey, and our third was Johnson + Wales in Providence. Each has their own unique attributes. However, Findlay was the ONLY school we found that allowed Sam to take her own horse, and work with her exclusively in the program. Many other schools had either no or very limited accommodation for student horses, and some required that if the horse were accepted, that it join the school horse line and be used by the rest of the students as well.

So our decision ended up being pretty easy, at the time. It was the only school that could accommodate Bella on Sam's terms.

I am considering transfering schools to one with an Equine Science major (either that or taking a year off to compete). Does the program allow eventers? I would be interested in any info you could give me about their program, stabling, instruction, etc as well. They seem to have a informative website, but sometimes those can be deceptive.
thanks!

[Dramapony_misty]

I'm a graduate from the Equine Business Management program at Cazenovia College (near Syracuse, New York). They were truly the best 4 years of my life. What was great about the program was that it's really a business management degree (yes, we had to take all the normal business classes: management, accounting, business law, etc) but we also had equine-specific courses (anatomy, farm management, 2 semesters of disease and injury) as well as many discipline, instructor, and training classes available as electives. This allows you to pretty much be qualified in ANY mainstream job in case you (your sister in this case) decide that you'd rather keep the hands-on thing as a hobby.

They have successful IHSA Western and hunt seat teams, as well as a IDA dressage team.

The campus is quite small (about the size of a city block), and the beautiful Equine Education center (home of the barn and equine classrooms) is only a 5 minute drive away. The professors and instructor there are all on a first-name basis and are willing to help out with anything you need, whenever you need. Classes are usually less than 25 people so you're not just another number or filled seat in a lecture hall. The instructors actually know you by name and face!

There are a bunch of scholarships available from there too, so don't let price deter you. The campus at least deserves a visit. I was on the fence between Caz and a non-equine school and the minute I stepped foot on the quad, it just felt right. I toured the barn and on the way out, we stopped on the top of the hill that overlooks it, took a deep breath and realized...I was home. I was sold. I didn't go to any of their open houses before that, so I wasn't pumped with "why this school is so great" information from some paid student...the environment itself helped me make my decision, and it was definitely the right one.

Visit their site: www.Cazenovia.edu

If you are interested, have any questions, or want to get in touch with someone there, PM me. :)

[Dramapony_misty]

I am considering transfering schools to one with an Equine Science major (either that or taking a year off to compete). Does the program allow eventers? I would be interested in any info you could give me about their program, stabling, instruction, etc as well. They seem to have a informative website, but sometimes those can be deceptive.
thanks!

I forgot to add that Caz does offer limited full board, and some co-op board opportunities without the horse being used in the program. Depending on the horse, the team my ask if you would be willing to let them use your horse for use in the show, but you can of course say no.

They do tend to discourage bringing a horse to school your freshman year, but they don't totally prohibit it.

[tcgelec]

Liebe-ist-krieg:

I sent you a PM.

I second the thought of not letting the price deter you. Findlay has a lot of scholarships also. Sam is a good but not stellar student, and she is getting $13,500./yr for 4 yrs, (on merit) which brings it fairly close to what a state school would be in NY.

[cheval80]

University of Massachusetts, Mount Holoyoke (sp??), Findlay college.

Basically, search for the Intercollegiate Horse Show association website. You'll see a list of all their schools that have teams. Most of those schools have an animal science program and many have equine science programs.

Just be prepared, the job market for equine science grads is limited even with a good economy - Teacher / Professor, different veterinary positions, barn manager, trainer and there's not too much more! Basically, get some business experience and get a job that can support horses!

[gypsymare]

Either
1) Save the tuition money and go be a working student for a BNT... or
2) Get a general business management degree and either ride on the college team or preferably ride with a BNB/BNT after school hours.

An equine studies degree is useless in any other field and you will get far far more valuable experience working with a BNT if being an equine professional is your career choice. IHSA experience is limited. You'll learn more and get more riding time in if you can catch ride and work with a BNT.

[Wee Dee Trrr]

University of Massachusetts, Mount Holoyoke (sp??), Findlay college.

Just be prepared, the job market for equine science grads is limited even with a good economy - Teacher / Professor, different veterinary positions, barn manager, trainer and there's not too much more! Basically, get some business experience and get a job that can support horses!

That's what I was going to bring up... Is there more out there for equine degrees than I thought? I'm about to graduate with a Psych degree and I'm resigned to going to graduate school! (If I can get in!!!!!!)

[JollyBadger]

Anyone looking to major in equestrian studies should, IMO, double-major in something "useful" such as Business/Business Management, Pre-vet, etc. I also had a couple of friends who were art/equine double majors.

Just having a degree in equestrian studies doesn't mean much to most employers unless you have a strong horse management background and/or show record on your resume to back it up.

[Dramapony_misty]

That's what I liked about Cazenovia's degree...it's a BPS in Business Mangement with a specialization in Equine Business Management. :)