10/12/2026
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Are equine college programs worth it?
This is a constantly debated topic within the horse world and with it comes a wide array of answers. Some come with a positive, benevolent tone, others veer on the negative and slightly unhinged. Itβs a never ending debate.
I grew up in a family of educators. Our family business was an early childhood education program, I grew up surrounded by walls of books, and we always held the belief that one could never have enough education. I was offered a scholarship to a US college program that would allow me to work with horses. I decided to sacrifice a life of comfort in my homeland to immerse myself into a culture, language and lifestyle that was not my own.
All for the sake of education.
After years of hard work I have finally fulfilled the dream of building a livelihood around horses as an international trainer. This is something that would have been impossible without my time in an Equine Program. In my opinion, they are absolutely worth it. Itβs up to you to make the most of it, during college and after graduation. Having a certification or a diploma doesnβt automatically make you a seasoned expert, and you need to be humble to understand that experience comes with grit, failure and a solid work ethic.
You will ALWAYS be learning new things and be constantly humbled. The smaller your ego is, the better. Buy the books, do the internship, watch the videos, network, go to clinics, take lessons, talk to other trainers, exchange ideas! All of these help create a well-rounded horseperson. This industry is an emotional rollercoaster, you will have days where you feel like youβre on top of the world. Other days you just want to say βf**k itβ, pack up and move back to Colombia. Keep going. Resilience, determination and humility are the name of the game in this industry, whether you have a college degree or not.
Photo of Fandango, my first colt-starting student during my Rocky days. He made me fall in love with Foundational Horsemanship.