Equine
Oklahoma State University has a long-standing tradition of excellence and involvement in the equine industry. The equine program is committed to preparing students to have both an understanding of the science behind the species and a practical understanding of what it takes to work with them.
Teaching
Undergraduate students can participate in our Equine Enterprise Management certificate program. Equine curriculum is also incorporated into the animal science major.
Students have an opportunity to gain hands-on experience at the Charles and Linda Cline Equine Teaching Center, as well as participate in courses taught by award-winning faculty and staff. This combination provides an inclusive learning environment for students of all backgrounds and skill levels. In addition, the strong alumni and professional network students have access to enables them to interact with and learn from key players in the industry.
In addition to the general education and specific degree requirements for an animal science degree, students have an opportunity to take many hands-on and lecture-based equine courses.
Students work with their faculty academic advisor to incorporate these courses into their plan of study. This curriculum further provides experiential learning opportunities through industry internships with farms, trainers, and equine associations.
Research
Our equine research trains well-rounded graduate students that are academically and scientifically sound minded as well as have the ability to teach and communicate with students and the people in the industry.
Our goals have been to:
- More accurately quantify mineral requirements in weanlings and yearlings.
- Determine the effects of mineral balance and exercise on bone metabolism in the young, growing horse.
- Evaluate mineral bioavailability from varying sources and in response to dietary supplementation.
- Train well-rounded graduate students that are academically and scientifically sound minded as well as have the ability to teach and communicate with students and the people in the industry.
Extension
We provide horse owners with important information, as well as hold numerous events throughout the year to aid, teach, and engage the equine community. These events include annual workshops and competitions for youth interested in horses.
Learn more about equine Extension events and activities on our OSU horse website. For more on-line horse information, try eXtension-Horse, a National Cooperative Extension Project dedicated to education of the horse owner.
Resources
- Student Opportunities
Some of the equine activities our students can participate in include the OSU Equine Judging Team, the Women’s Equestrian Team, the OSU Ranch Horse Team, and the OSU Horsemen’s Association.
The OSU Equine Judging Team competes at several national and world level contests each year, which exposes students to the leading producers and exhibitors in the horse industry.
Students also have an opportunity to work or intern at the Equine Center. These paid positions allow students to apply skills and knowledge learned in class to a working operation. Student workers and interns aid the herd manager in the general care of the horses and grounds.
- History
Like most land grant colleges, the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College was dependent upon horsepower from the beginning. Agriculture itself was structured around the horse; from pulling a wagon to pulling a plow, the horse was without substitute.
The draft horse program was organized as a respected portion of the college. As the equine community and industry changed throughout the years, our equine program evolved as well to focus on stock horse breeds. The equine program remains an important part of OSU.
- Workshops and Events
View our calendar for upcoming horse related events.