“The arena and round-pen are beautifully constructed, and we’re all immensely grateful to everyone who came together to create such a dynamic and multi-purpose facility” - Aleksandra Lipinska.

Development will benefit equine, human-animal interaction and canine diploma students.

Hartpury University has unveiled its new equine and canine training and research arena to facilitate student learning and enhance opportunities for study.

Set to benefit students studying equine, human-animal interaction and canine diplomas, the new Equine and Animal Assisted Activity Area (EAAA) will also provide additional competitor capacity at this summer’s major equine events.

The £730,000 development is located within Hartpury Equine and consists of a covered 60m x 30m space. Built with sustainability in mind, it is manufactured from recycled material and incoporates an 'Equaflow' rainwater drainage system.

Several charitable trusts, organisations and foundations helped to fund the project, including the Margaret Giffen Charitable Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Childwick Trust and Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust.

The EAAA will be available to Hartpury University students enrolled on animal training, behaviour and human-animal interaction programmes. 

Hartpury University students studying equine sports coaching or equestrian sports science programmes will be able to use the space for coaching practice, and those studying equine performance and rehabilitation will be able to use it for horse assessment and therapy support.

“The EAAAA will provide an invaluable space to work with our dogs, not just for agility and training purposes, but also for the many canine research projects carried out by staff and students alike,” said Aleksandra Lipinska, animal collection manager at Hartpury.

“The arena and round-pen are beautifully constructed, and we’re all immensely grateful to everyone who came together to create such a dynamic and multi-purpose facility.”