Is Equine Science a waste of time for me??

horselover96

hi guys
ok, so im doing my leaving cert and really confused what to put down on my CAO ..
i love horses and i work at a stables every weekend...so is Equine SCience the right course for me or would i be better off doing the BHS exams??

could anybody who has done either, please post here and let me know of your experiences....
thank you

Thataone

I have none neither but looked into both.
Perhaps if you are unsure you could do both? BHS stages 1 & 2 and the riding and road safety are all very doable if you have a sufficient level of stable management and handling knowledge and are a competent rider. I did training towards BHS in an approved BHS centre (but was unable to sit exam due to date clashes and travel) and I found the syllabus easy to cover (as I said before, as long as you have a good basis in stable management etc to begin with). Getting into the BHS frame of mind is half the battle. Everything is very meticulous and is very much safety first to the point of being impractical.

Many friends of mine have either completed or are currently completing their degrees in Equine Science.
Their opinions are really mixed. Like for instance one friend completed it 3 years ago now (it was her second degree), on finishing her degree she went to England and worked in a top class show jumping yard (belonging to a well respected show jumping family ) but since then has found very little use for her degree and has since gone back to using her original degree for work. She loved the course at the time and despite getting some great work experience and being able to travel a bit afterwards, working in yards, she found that she struggled to get a long term sustainable job from it. Similarly there's a person on my course that did a year of equine science before switching courses as she felt that while it was really enjoyable, she couldn't see a clear future for herself in that area.
On the other hand, a friend of mine is currently doing it and loves it. I'm not sure what her plans are after she has finished or how focused she is on incorporating hands on/riding into her future as she loves the science aspect as is still relatively novice in terms of riding top horses though.

I think it's a course that people enjoy at the time and get a lot from as they do it but it isn't always the easiest thing to work with afterwards. that said, afaik, you still finish with a science degree so there is always that possibility.

If you are looking to work with horses, have you considered looking at CAFRE? It's in Enniskillen so there is the matter of distance (and possibly fees?) but it might be worth a look?
http://www.cafre.ac.uk/index/news-events/archivednews/news-oct-dec-10/news_october_2010/equine_courses_at_enniskillen.htm

And don't rule out the likes of Kildalton, Gurteen or Grennan College. They can be a great foothole for getting to experience the industry and they offer BHS training and such too (again, afaik). If you are in any way business minded then equine business might be another route to go down (NUI Maynooth).

And if you are unsure then why not try and do your BHS over the summer periods or take a year or two to do them (check out Grennan Collage) or even look to do a working pupil training scheme for a year or so, not always as readily available here but the UK and further afield often have great setups for live in working pupils/BHS training schemes (it's a great opportunity to travel)

becklyncho

Heya

Unless you want to move to England or the States, I wouldn't recommend it.. There are no jobs in that field in Ireland unless you are connected to the 'big wigs' in the world.

I started the course before going on to do Science Education. !

Ave Sodalis

I'm nearly finished it in UL OP and I have to say, despite it being hard work (it is a science degree, after all), I love it and would recommend it. In terms of job opportunities afterwards, there's actually lab opportunities which many people discount, you could work in a yard afterwards or you could do what I'm doing, which is using it as a spring board into Equine Physio or other courses. I wouldn't discount it straight away.

In first year, you will have to time to do BHS stage 1 at least, if not stage 2 and have both. I don't regret doing this degree and wouldn't entirely with becklyncho. There are jobs and also, with the work experience you can get, have an opportunity to work with the 'big wigs' and get contacts.

horselover96

Thanks guys...for the good and bad reviews I couldnt see myself working in a lab I'm more a hands on kinda girl I thinking of doing my bhs stage 1this summer... And then I was thinking of doing a veterinary nursing course in either Athlone or Letterkenny.. If I get the points!