Horses are an integral part of our nation’s history, once serving as a source of transportation, work and even defending our freedoms in times of war. Today horses serve more diverse roles including recreation, showing and racing.
Horse racing is a $10 billion industry in the United States, directly employing nearly 150,000 people annually. Recently, 12 students from the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design participated in a week-long intensive off-campus summer course to gain an in-depth look into the horse racing industry and the job opportunities that await future graduates.
Offered for the first time through the College’s Off-Campus Summer Program, the course was developed by Holly Spooner, WVU Extension assistant professor and horse specialist, and Crystal Smith, teaching assistant professor, to introduce students to the thoroughbred and standardbred racing industries and increase students’ knowledge of current events and careers in the horse industry.
Students traveled through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky visiting racetracks, breeding farms, equine veterinary clinics and made stops at the Kentucky Horse Park and Churchill Downs, the legendary home of the Kentucky Derby.
“I am highly interested in working in the racing industry,” said Khrystian Rosier, an animal and nutritional sciences major from Keyser, W.Va. “These horses have fascinated me for years and I feel better prepared to look for a job in this field after attending the racehorse industry tour.”
Although many of the students enrolled in the course are pursuing minors in equine management, students throughout the college were also eligible to enroll and found the experience to be valuable.
“As an agribusiness major, I’ve started thinking about how I’m going to use my degree when I graduate and this class opened a whole new world of opportunities for me,” said Emilie Meade, an agribusiness management and rural development major from Monrovia, Md. “I might not necessarily be racing the horse, but I could still be involved in the racing industry.”
Industry partners opening their doors and sharing their expertise were: Lindwood Farm, Greensburg, Pa.; Gillock’s Training Center, Belle Vernon, Pa.; The Meadows Racetrack, Washington, Pa.; Mountaineer Racetrack, Newell-Chester, W.Va.; Loren Cox Racing Stables, Newell-Chester, W.Va.; Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Ky.; Kentucky Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, Versailles, Ky.; Quillin Leather & Tack, Paris, Ky.; Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Ky.; Coolmore America-Ashford Stud, Versailles, Ky.; Kentucky Equine Management Internship, Lexington, Ky.; Keeneland Sales, Lexington, Ky.; Winstar Farms, Versailles, Ky.; and Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.
Charlie Fox with Southern States Feeds helped coordinate the trip.
If you are interested in learning more about the expanding course offerings in WVU’s Equine Management Minor please contact Spooner at Holly.Spooner@mail.wvu.edu or Smith at Crystal.Smith@mail.wvu.edu.
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cs-la/07/08/11
CONTACT: Crystal Smith, Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences
304.293.2406; Crystal Smith@mail.wvu.edu
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