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If horses are your passion, there’s no better place to study than Hartpury. Providing you with opportunities and facilities that you won’t find elsewhere, you do really get more than just a degree at Hartpury.
Whether you want to work with horses or just want to keep your horse with you and enjoy our outstanding equine facilities while gaining a first-class education, our courses can open doors to your dream career.
If you’re waiting for your A-level and BTEC Diploma results right now, we wish you the very best of luck!
But it’s worth remembering that if your results don’t quite match your expectations or hit the mark, there will still be lots of options for you to explore.
We have places available on a number of our equine courses – from Equine Science to Equine Performance and Equine Business Management.
And if you don’t get the points you need to start on a full honours degree right away, our foundation degrees could offer the route you need, with lower entry tariffs and the option to top-up to the full honours degree after two years of study.
To find out more about Hartpury and whether it could be right for you, why not visit our dedicated webpage at www.hartpury.ac.uk/clearing
Alternatively, you can call our clearing hotline 01452 702345.
“Hartpury provides the ideal training environment for people to start their career in the industry. I’m proud to be part of the college and working with the next generation of riders.” Carl Hester, Hartpury Elite Dressage Coach and Olympic Gold Medallist
Choosing Hartpury for your degree
Choosing Hartpury for your equine degree means studying in a unique specialist environment, where educational opportunities are provided for all within world class facilities, supported by outstanding staff and significant equine industry links.
Set in beautiful rural Gloucestershire and close to both Cheltenham and Gloucester, we’ve invested more than £50million in our campus over the past 10 years.
And we’ve got a great track record in giving our students the skills they need to get their dream job.
94.4% of our graduates are either in work or further education six months after graduating.
Some equine students will use their qualification to progress into general graduate career paths relating to teaching, sales, law, business management and veterinary, keeping horses as a hobby.
Others move quickly up the equine career route; using the experience they gain at Hartpury to move into jobs in equine health, performance, welfare and business throughout the UK and internationally.
Everywhere you look at Hartpury Equine, you will see high quality facilities and equipment designed to aid student learning, provide outstanding competition opportunities and to help horses in all forms of their development and wellbeing.
It’s not surprising Hartpury is very proud of the equine graduates we produce…
“Being a Hartpury graduate gave me an enormous grounding that has stood me in good stead throughout my career. Not only was the academic programme excellent, the additional opportunities available to gain real life experience was priceless. Today, Hartpury continues to prepare students well for the modern equestrian industry, and their graduates hold key positions throughout the equine world.”Amanda Bond, CEO for British Dressage and Hartpury graduate
World class opportunities: only at Hartpury
As Europe’s largest equine education centre, Hartpury attracts the very highest calibre lecturers, researchers and coaches and enjoys long-standing partnerships across the equine industry.
In fact, every year Hartpury hosts riders, trainers and industry leaders from 20 different countries at its three equine festivals.
It was at Hartpury that Charlotte Dujardin set a new British freestyle record just three weeks before winning two gold medals at London 2012.
In Horse & Hound, Charlotte Dujardin said of her Olympic experience: “Backstage at Greenwich it was just like Hartpury — all the regular crew were there.”
Hartpury students experience all of this first-hand and so much more!
Our facilities
Hartpury’s unique equine environment provides students with access to world-class facilities, which include the indoor championship arena, outdoor and indoor arenas, cross-country courses, stabling for 230 horses (including student livery) and its own dedicated equine therapy centre.
This September sees the opening of our rider performance centre, the first of its kind in the UK. At the Margaret Giffen Centre for Performance in Equestrian Sports you’ll be able to access facilities and professional therapists to help enhance your performance and provide you with even more opportunities to apply the theory you learn in the classroom in a practical session.
The facilities are key to the student learning experience. They are available for work experience, for students to compete in events and for research projects.
Hartpury prides itself on ensuring that equine facilities are available to all students, and staff can also book them for teaching and assessment. While we constantly strive to ensure that our facilities are of the highest standard, we are in no way elitist.
Hartpury supports all equine students to experience aspects of the ‘real equine world’, whether that’s timetabled practicals, work experience, volunteering, making the most of our extensive business contacts and accounts, conducting research or attending the national conventions we host.
Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 organising committee, said:
“Hartpury’s facility is a state-of-the art competition venue and teaching facility… that is an asset to equestrian sport both at community and elite level.”
Qualifications in equine
Hartpury provides a variety of equine programmes ranging from foundation degrees through to masters qualifications. We encourage our students to stretch and challenge themselves, illustrated by excellent progression rates between levels and programmes.
For students who recognise themselves as practical learners, we offer two foundation science degreess, each designed with different career paths in mind. These programmes include work experience, which help students gain relevant skills and knowledge of the work environment and further support their degree education. Both programmes offer part-time options if preferred and progression routes onto a bespoke top-up honours degree programme.
Hartpury offers both bachelor of science and bachelor of arts honours degrees, which can be completed in three years (full-time). In addition, our unique one year top-up honours degree enables foundation degree students to study for a further year to gain an honours degree qualification.
Our students are equipped with the ability to problem solve using newly developed skills, ideas, research and equipment at the forefront of the equine field.
My decision to study at Hartpury was based on the incredible facilities here, especially the Equine Therapy Centre. I volunteered there in my first year and was lucky enough to get offered a job in my second year which is giving me invaluable experience. I also keep my horse onsite, which helps keep my training and competition up to scratch while I study.Erin Ronan | Foundation degree in Equine Performance
Meet Hartpury graduate, Rachel Kent: Sponsorship co-ordinator at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, Worcestershire
About my job
I manage about 50 different sponsorship accounts for four different major shows across the year. The accounts I manage are incredibly varied — some are equestrian, some agricultural, some sporting and some are from very different industry sectors like building management, educational institutions and clothing brands.
Why I went to Hartpury
I chose Hartpury because it allowed me to do a foundation degree in equine performance with a sandwich year incorporated and I was really keen to gain valuable work experience alongside my studies. When I returned from my sandwich year, I chose to stay at Hartpury and top-up to the BSc equine management degree. I then went on to do my masters in sports business management and that progression route from foundation right through to masters suited me perfectly. It enabled me to focus in on my areas of interest, hone so many different skills and gain a really wide variety of work experience. The opportunities at Hartpury are limitless.
My most memorable experiences at Hartpury
So many! Endless memories of barbecues, movie nights and enjoying the sun in the beautiful grounds, not to mention trying to balance study with nights out!
Using my degree at work
I use what I learned during my studies at Hartpury every day, especially from the practical side, like delivering presentations to members of the board. Equally, I learned a lot about putting packs together for sponsors during my masters in sports businesmanagement. Time management and organisation is a huge part of any job role and Hartpury helped me with that by always giving me a full plate!
How I got into the industry
I’ve always been interested in agriculture, but I didn’t want to spend my career in wellies! I worked within the marketing team at Hartpury and that opened my eyes to more career possibilities. Networking was also key and it’s such an underrated skill. If you’re interested in working for someone, make use of the skills you already have, and follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook and add them on LinkedIn.
Advice for graduates
While you’re at university, get as much work experience as you can. It’s the only time in your life where you have a guaranteed income from your loan. Use the extra time to get part-time jobs or voluntary roles in environments you wouldn’t normally put yourself into – you might find that you like them! Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you’re interested in a career find out as much as you can about it. Preparation is key!
For me, there is no better job or career than the one I have chosen. Those who choose to work with what they love, don’t work a day in their life!” There really is no place like Hartpury.” Charlie Bays | Professional showjumper, instructor and Hartpury graduate
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
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