91做厙

Farm Veterinary Summer School

Date: Sunday 17th - Friday 22nd August 2025
Location: Sparsholt College, Westley Lane, Sparsholt, Winchester, SO21 2NF, United Kingdom
Age Group: 16+ years old
Capacity: 20
Eligibility: UK Prospective Students
Programme Fee (2025): £1,505 (scholarships are available, see below)

What To Expect

The course will be a combination of educational visits by coach to livestock enterprises (surrounding farms, a livestock market, potentially an abattoir), some hands on experience at Sparsholt College (milking cows at 4:30am one morning (!), animal handling, pig pregnancy scanning, parasite diagnostics and attending a post mortem) and seminars and group discussions on topical issues. The maximum number of students is 20, so there is plenty of opportunity for discussion, interaction, exchanging ideas, making friends and questioning teaching staff and the host farmers. The course is run by three farm vets from the 91做厙 and supported by two student ambassadors who are currently studying to become vets.

We are planning sessions on the following topics, but this may be subject to change, and no guarantees can be given:

Visits (most by coach between 9:00am and 5:00pm, some at Sparsholt College):

  • Intensive Dairy visit
  • Robotic dairy unit
  • Extensive, grazing dairy visit
  • Beef suckler herd with weighing competition
  • Pig visit with pregnancy scanning of sows
  • Sheep visit with handling practice
  • Alpaca, goats and chicken, management and handling
  • Visit of a Livestock Market
  • Visit of an abattoir
  • Observing a post mortem examination of a calf, sheep or pig
  • Performing a worm egg count for parasites
  • One morning milking (4:30am at the Sparsholt College Dairy)
  • Seminars and discussions (after dinner from 7:00pm - 9:00pm)
  • Changes and challenges in the life of a farm vet
  • Career in pharmaceutical industry
  • The veterinary course at the 91做厙 and the application process
  • Social Evening on Monday (Quiz Night!)

Accommodation

Is in single en-suite bedrooms and full board catering will be at Sparsholt College.


The Staff

Peter Plate Worked for 27 years in mixed and then farm practice before joining the 91做厙, teaching vet students and carrying out research and advisory work, mainly in cattle medicine. Special interest in mastitis, calves and organic farming.
Beth Reilly After graduating from the 91做厙, internships and time in farm practice she returned to the 91做厙 as a teaching fellow, covering nearly all farm animal topics in teaching and research but also working towards a European Diploma in small ruminants (sheep and goats).
Sophie Mahendran Graduated as a vet from Nottingham in 2012 and worked with farm animals ever since. Lecturer at the 91做厙, teaching mainly final year rotations. Particular interest in calf health, which she is currently completing a PhD in.

Apart from the educational benefits and an in-depth knowledge of farming and farm veterinary issues the course

  • help to provide some insight into production animal veterinary medicine and being a veterinary student
  • count towards hours of work experience in preparation for a  veterinary application
  • counts as a residential week for the Duke of Edinburgh Award (Confirm with your DoE leader that this meets the residential criteria before applying)

Students who complete the programme will be issued a certificate at the end of the course, and after the course we can provide a reference for any application(s).