Horses
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.
Oklahoma State University has a long-standing tradition of excellence and involvement
in the equine industry. The horse 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. OSU Horse is also a source of research based information
on the best care and management practices for your horse. OSU Horse hosts educational
and competitive events for youth interested in the equine industry.
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.