Abbi McGlennon

I’m Abbi, and this is my story.

I guess I’ve always been ‘The Horse Girl’. They’re special animals. Good for the soul.

I’ve loved horses since I was young: from the point I began begging my parents for riding lessons, to the moment I was lucky enough to get one of my own. The bond you build with them is totally unique. You can read them, and they can read you. They’ll pick you up, and they’ll calm you down. Horses have this ability to make the world a quieter, gentler place, and they’ll teach you so much about trust, discipline, and perseverance along the way.

I knew I loved horses, and I knew I was good with them. My only question back then was what to do with that passion and those skills.

I chose NTU because of a sunny Brackenhurst open day.

That’s all it took. The campus was gorgeous. Rural, but not isolated. There was a lot going on, a real sense of community and connection. I knew I didn’t want to be in the middle of a big, busy city, but I also didn’t want to run the risk of feeling separated and stuck. Immediately, I got a vibe: this instinctive sense of just ‘fitting in’. There were so many smiles and friendly faces.

The Equestrian Centre, Brack Bar, the countryside, the Orangery, the fact the accommodation was so close to the teaching spaces: Brack ticked every box.

My university experience was a blast.

NTU was a safe, encouraging space. I arrived as a bit of an introvert, but I wanted to test myself. I got involved with societies; I became a Student Ambassador; I joined the Entertainment Committee. My confidence developed, and my communication skills improved.

As part of my sandwich year, I ended up completing three placements, including working in an equine hospital in Newmarket, and a paid,10-month work-placement at the Animal Health Trust. I got incredible frontline experience of equine care. But the most inspiring placement was when I was selected to help with my course leader’s research project, as part of a funded scholarship. It was that period,12 weeks of research experience and lab work, that really solidified my interest in a research-focused future.

After graduating, I turned my course into a career.

I graduated with a pretty strong sense of what I wanted to do — and just as importantly, what I didn’t. Whatever I did, it had to have the aim of positively impacting the health and welfare of the animals I love.

Today, I’m an epidemiologist, working with the Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance Group at the University of Cambridge. I’ve spent nearly ten years researching streptococcus equi, the bacteria that causes ‘strangles’: a nasty, highly infectious disease of horses, which can quickly affect an entire yard. But it’s also easily prevented from spreading with basic hygiene and quarantining measures, and that’s a big part of my passion, taking scientific research and turning it into something that horse owners and people in the equine industry can easily understand and share.

The best advice I could give is to follow your gut.

I didn’t enjoy my GCSEs, and I didn’t do A-levels. Sitting in a classroom all day just wasn’t for me. That’s why I ended up studying on a more vocationally focused BTEC course in equine management, and that’s what got me started on this path.

Passion is so important. If you really love something, it’ll tend to point you in the right direction. I’ll always love horses, and I want to help them. I’d never considered myself a particularly academic person, and if you’d told me 10 years ago, I’d complete a PhD, I’d have laughed at you. But here I am today!