The Equine Center does everything from educating students on horse riding, care and more. Home to the equestrian team, the center is also a place for the community to participate in equine events. 

“Our mission is education first,” said Leah Ballin, Equine Center manager. “That’s the whole reason why we’re here is to educate animal scientists and equine management students.”

Ballin said the students who study in the Equine Center are usually agriculture or pre-vet students looking to gain experience with large animals, but they are open to all majors. Students can also volunteer at the center.

Sadey Bowen, a first-year plant and soil science major from Weiner, Arkansas, volunteers every day at the Equine Center. 

“What I love the most about out here is the fact that nobody cares what past you came from or being a little bit different,” Bowen said. “They want to step in to help and do whatever you need and teach you and just be there when you need them.”

Bowen, who uses a wheelchair, said she connected with a horse named Rosie because she was the first horse who wasn’t scared of her wheelchair.

“That pretty much made me know I wanted to work with her and ride her. She’s taught me pretty much everything I know about horses at this point. I just kind of fell in love with her,” Bowen said.

Equestrian Team and Riding Classes

Bowen is a member of the equestrian team, which is coached by Cassie Burdett, instructor of animal science. Burdett created the team last year.

Burdett said the equestrian team does both Hunter seat and Western riding styles and competes at different schools. Riders get sorted into categories based on their experience level. 

“In the riding program we focus on ‘anyone can ride,’” said Alexa Daly, one of the assistant coaches. “Whether they’ve had the experience or not, we give them the opportunity to learn the sport.” 

Burdett teaches classes from the beginner to the advanced level. 

The cost for taking a riding class is the same as three hours of tuition plus an extra $50 fee that goes to help take care of the horse being ridden. 

Students don’t need any prerequisites or previous experience with horses to take a riding class. Beginner classes are offered in both fall and spring semesters. 

“We’ll start with everything from learning how to halter a horse, to groom a horse, how to tack up, which would be either the western saddle or the English saddle, and then we’ll put them on a lunge line,” Burdett said. “They get to practice working on their seat and getting comfortable before we ever give them reins.”

Burdett said her favorite students to teach are the ones new to riding, because she can teach the correct way to ride. 

“If you teach them from the ground up, then it’s more than just going on a trail ride. It’s actually riding and that takes a million different pieces to do it right,” Burdett said. “It’s understanding horse psychology. What is the horse telling you?”

Breeding Program

The center also has a breeding program to teach students the process of equine breeding. 

Ballin said there are three horses in the barn that were bred, born and raised in the Equine Center as part of the program. 

Braums, a two-time participant in the Breeder’s Cup World Championship races, an invitation-only annual series of thoroughbred horse races, was donated to A-State as a senior.  Braums died spring 2022.

Two of Braums’s offspring, Cheese and Brennan, were born in the breeding program and are university-owned. 

“Not only did we breed the horses here, then the following year, the class got to foal them out and then we weaned them,” Burdett said. “We halter broke them and now Cheese is in training to ride, Brennan’s been training to ride. It’s just kind of cool that you can still see the imprint of a full circle program.”

Brennan’s mom, Cami, is the only broodmare left in the breeding program. Burdett said Cami is an off-the-track racehorse mare and won a little under $130,000 on the track. 

Burdett said their hope for Brennan is that she will also go on to race. 

Last year Cami was artificially inseminated in partnership with Kavanaugh Quarter Horses in an attempt to breed an appendix, which is a cross between an American quarter horse and a thoroughbred.

“Even though Brahms is no longer here, it’s exciting to see the horses that we bred and foaled,” Burdett said.  “A couple of his babies are running in Oaklawn right now, including the university’s very first foal, named Howl Yeah.” 

Burdett said the program no longer has breeding stallions, but they are still breeding and foaling. 

“We’re actually going to foal out one of the farm’s female donkeys. We’ve never done that before. The class is going to help her deliver her baby donkey safely,” Burdett said. 

Hippotherapy Program

The Equine Center also uses horses to teach hippotherapy in the physical therapy program. 

Director of clinical education and assistant professor of physical therapy, Rachel Wilkins, said hippotherapy is using the movement of being on horseback to improve posture, balance and walking abilities of patients that have neuromuscular conditions.

Wilkins said for physical therapy students hippotherapy is a three semester process. In the first semester students learn horse behavior and basic principles of hippotherapy, the second they work with actual patients and in the third they do case studies on one patient. 

“In the fall semester where the students are just getting introduced to horses and horse skills, the Equine Center is a big part of that because we usually go to the Equine Center for the first few weeks of class and they learn all about horse safety, tacking and grooming,” Wilkins said. 

Community Events

Additionally, the Equine Center hosts a range of events each year. 

Ballin said they host everything from student-led events up to large series barrel races. Every year they host the Northeast Arkansas Horse Show, which has 10 events in its lineup. 

Ballin said the Northeast Arkansas Horse Show Association does open breed shows, shows that offer classes to all horse breeds, for Western and English pleasure and speed events from peewee to leadline classes. 

Regardless of what students do at the center, Burdett said students will benefit from working with the animals.  

“I think a lot of students benefit underneath them (horses). I see competence. I see students switching majors or maybe they’re adding to their double concentration because they found something that spoke to them,” Burdett said. “That’s the whole reason why we do it.” 

Categories: Life