Equine Summer Study in Scotland - Adelante Abroad

I learned a lot of useful information here. I did have a good time. The knowledge that i gained will definitely help me in the future and allow me to further any equine program i decide to take on. I do feel that I was a bit misled on where the program was, cost of living, and location. It started at the airport when we had an hour longer wait and no contact with anyone. No one here actually uses whatsapp, which adelante insisted we needed. There were 3 of us siting in the airport in the dark trying to figure out what to do in a foreign country with no guidance or contacts. When we arrived we were dropped off in the middle of no where with no service or information on where to go and how to get there. We had no contacts and it made for a very scary 24 hours. After that the trip went ok when we settled in. Scotland is definitely on a different time frame, very much 'island time'. When it comes to cost of living it is very expensive to get anywhere and we were not prepared properly for that. Adelante failed on that end as well. We also are in the middle of no where. We were led to believe that it was easy to get anywhere and it most definitely is not easy or cheap. So very opposite of what we were told. I had a good time in the program and it would have been fun to ride a bit more. I liked the information we learned, it was surface level, but still very beneficial.

This month has transformed me as a person and has led me to enjoy the simple things in life. I appreciate the morning riding sessions, classes with low-stress teaching style's and being around so many new people. Scotland and the city of Edinburgh are beautiful, but I would warn future students that it can be very costly and timely to travel, even to Edinburgh. You will need to budget more than what is recommended to get the full experience and learn how to use the buses and trains once you arrive. SRUC is not in the city, so it's important to learn how to travel, etc. Overall, the scenery is beautiful, peaceful and I've met lifelong friends. I would recommend this program to any horse lover.

I deeply enjoyed my time here in Scotland and had a blast with the horses and the girls in the trip. While I at first didn't realize how remote the campus was from main areas, we managed to make the best of it and still see a large amount of the surrounding areas. The staff were extremely patient, especially the barn staff who clearly cared deeply about both horse and rider well being. The academics were fun without being too much in a very short amount of time, and felt well structured and taught. The only issues were when a number of us got sick towards the end of the trip and had some difficultly getting medical care, but had a great staff who tried their absolute best! Overall, I enjoyed my experience but wish I had been more prepared coming in.