Doing something you love is perhaps the key to a successful career. That’s part of the thinking that has led to UHI North Highland running one of the leading equine degrees in the UK.
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From its campus in Caithness, UHI has the facilities, resources and expertise to help you realise your dream of a life working with horses.
UHI North Highland aims to help you on your way, whether you want a professional horse-riding career or are interested purely for leisure. Skill and experience are not the main drivers. The biggest thing it wants to see is a love and passion for horses.
Curriculum leader Diane Ross says: “There are a lot of students who have been riding for years and are very skilled. However, there are also students that are very basic, they haven’t had much experience but it’s something that they really want to do. We recently had a student who hadn’t ridden for many years and is now coming on in leaps and bounds. We can cater for all standards.”
So what makes UHI North Highland’s offering among the very best equine degrees in the UK?
A range of courses to suit all needs
Students will get a choice of five courses to advance their dreams of an equine career. They are:
- Equestrian Skills Flexible Study Programme – This is a two-year programme aimed at anyone wanting to work in the equine sector. Available throughout Scotland.
- NC Horse Care – A practical course that will develop your skills in the yard, indoor and outdoor arenas using a range of quality horses.
- HNC Equine Studies – Students learn the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to work with horses to a high standard. You will also be prepared for your BHS exams.
- BA(Hons) Equine Business Management – An introduction to all aspects of today’s modern equine business. Students develop the skills needed for a career in equine business management including marketing, research and sports science.
- PgCert Equine Leadership & Management – This is a fully online course that prepares students to become leaders and managers in the equine industry.
Also, UHI’s flexibility in approach to study matches the range of courses.
Diane adds: “We can be flexible. We offer online study and practical aspects where students can come up to our rural studies centre. They can do intensive blocks where they come up to do the practical or they can come up and do the practical and have face-to-face classes at the same time. Students just need to speak to us and we’ll try to organise something that will suit them.”
A UK equine degree with unrivalled resources and expertise
Perhaps the standout feature of UHI North Highland’s offering is its horses. They are all competition horses that compete around the UK. That means students learn in an environment that mirrors the top level of the industry.
Diane explains: “We have a unique set of horses up here. We have competition horses which compete at the highest level, including The Horse of the Year Show. Students can ride these horses, work with these horses and improve their riding skills because the horses are already really well skilled. We have such a unique range of horses who can take riders from the beginning of their riding to an advanced level.”
Students also get access to some of the best facilities offered by any equine degree in the UK.
Diane adds: “Our yard is more like a working yard than a college yard, so students do get a taste of what it’s like to work in the industry. They have to get horses ready to go off to shows and for instruction. Although it is a college yard, we pride ourselves here at UHI North Highland on giving a real-life experience.”
Access to a network of opportunity
Staff at the college work at the top level of the industry themselves. That means they provide students with networking opportunities that would be hard to find elsewhere. It’s a vital stepping stone that eases their path into an equine career.
Diane says: “We have lots of links with the industry. If students are wanting to work in it, we can help them get jobs there. Our staff are working a lot in the industry, they’re competing, so we can help students find work.”
A proven track record of positive destinations
That networking has meant graduates have gone on to secure roles throughout the industry. The range of jobs secured also covers all aspects of the industry.
Diane says: “We’ve got a student who wants to ride at the Olympics and I’m sure they have the determination and ability to get there. Some of our students have started their own business, like a riding school or a livery yard. Others have gone off and groomed for top competitors and we’ve had students who break and train horses. We’ve had students who have gone onto coach people. Others have gone into customer care and used the business element of the degree.”
Whether you dream of riding at the Olympics or just of a career with horses, it’s likely UHI North Highland has the course for you. UHI North Highland, UHI Outer Hebrides and UHI West Highland will become UHI North, West and Hebrides on August 1, subject to Scottish Government approval.
