Students Encouraged to Horse Around in Class

Introduction to Equine Studies offers applied learning aspect

photos by Danielle Quigley

Animal science students got the chance to step out of the classroom in November to get hands-on experience with the horses they study.

For the first time, Dr. David Marshall, the equine professor in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, offered students in his “Introduction to Equine Studies” class the opportunity to get additional credit outside the classroom. Extra class points, he said, would be given to any student who participated in the Keystone International Livestock Exposition, which was held in Harrisburg , Pa.

Participating in the expo meant investing as much as 50 hours in preparation and a show day that began at 4 a.m.—not a typical rising time for the average undergrad. Yet half of the class signed on for the challenge, Marshall says, and not for the extra credit. “They were eager for the experience of working with our horses, the Haflingers that we breed on the University's Newark Farm.”

The volunteers were divided into teams of two, with each duo responsible for preparing their foal for show, which is no easy task. “Breaking” foals for show requires cleaning, grooming, leading and setting up the horse. The experience was new to most participants.

“Many of these students had not worked with the animals before,” Marshall notes.

Most of Marshall 's class is spent in the classroom, rather than outside with horses, says teaching assistant sophomore Jill Hall. During the classroom component, students learn about equine digestion, anatomy, diseases, and other aspects of horses. The course's lab involves equine management, husbandry and obtaining specialized skills including how to take a horse's body weight and administer vaccinations.

“The exposition was an opportunity for students to take the knowledge they learned in the classroom and techniques they practice in labs, and apply them on an everyday level,” Hall said.

Marshall said the exposition also gave students who enjoy applying their lnowledge in practical experience a time to shine.

“While some students do really well in the classroom, others are more hands-on learners,” he says. “The expo gave students the opportunity to put into practice their skills in the everyday handling of horses.”

Junior Kim Holland, a student who participated in the expo, described the time she spent working with foal Fiona in preparation for the show.

“I went out three times a week, two hours per session, to lead my foal and get her used to standing and loud noises—anything that could be a new experience for her at the show,” she says. “The day of the show, I cleaned the foal groomed for the show.”

Sophomore Erin McCullar also participated in the expo. She says that although she had worked with horses before, the expo was a new experience.

“I'd never done this type of show or worked with such a young horse before,” she says. “My partner and I spent hours at the barn teaching our horse, Lily, voice commands and running her through drills of what we thought the judges would ask for such as walking her in patterns.

“Lily is a beautiful example of the Haflinger breed,” she says. “The judges must have thought so, too, because she took two first-place ribbons and Second Reserve Junior Champion for the draft class.”

In all, the 14 students took eight ribbons back from the expo. Marshall says he plans to take his Equine Studies students to the show every year now. “The exposition is a great experience for both foal and student,” he adds.