Hartpury students are given a host of equine insights on Austrian adventure

Hartpury’s Equine students took their learning out of the classroom on a trip to Vienna, experiencing the famous ‘Fiaker’ and the celebrated stallions of the Spanish Riding School. 

Nineteen BTEC Diploma in Horse Management students and two staff flew to Austria, kick-starting their three-day trip with a visit to Vienna’s ‘Fiaker’ horses, enjoying a horse-drawn tour of the city. The ‘Fiaker’ hackney coaches feature in many famous songs and operas.

Hartpury Equine students trip to Vienna included a visit to the Spanish Riding School

On the second day, they headed to the city’s Veterinary University, where they observed an equine tooth extraction and were then part of a discussion on the isolation procedures that are used for horses on their campus. They then went to Vienna Zoo, where they observed a variety of enclosures and feeding programmes for animals ranging from meerkats and hippos to polar bears and elephants.

Hartpury Equine students trip to Vienna included a visit to the Spanish Riding School

Hartpury Equine students trip to Vienna included a visit to the Spanish Riding School

On the final day, the students visited the 450-year-old Spanish Riding School of Vienna, watching the morning exercise of the famous Lipizzaner stallions and had a tour of the facilities and stables.

The school continues to promote classical equitation, studying the way the horse naturally moves to cultivate the highest levels of Haute Ecole elegance the horse is capable of through systematic training. Lipizzaners are Europe’s oldest cultural horse breed.

Tom Hallam, Head of Hartpury College Equine, said: “The field trip to Vienna was an unforgettable experience and enabled the students to witness first hand some of the practices they have learned about in the classroom in an environment they have never encountered before.

“As well as providing the opportunity to see rare and famous breeds up close and personal, it gave them new skills and knowledge that will help their development and the trip opened their eyes to the wide range of careers in the industry, both in the UK and overseas.”

Hartpury students in Vienna