Story by Nora Poole, Communications Specialist
Department of Animal Science
Working hands-on with animals is an unique and exciting aspect of many of the courses in the Department of Animal Science. One example is a newly designed Spring semester course taught by Dr. Mary Raeth called Horse Management Practicum (ANSC 2056).
This course covers a wide range of topics including horse safety and grooming, behavior, health assessment and care, fundamentals of nutrition, body condition scoring and body weight estimations as well as pest and stall management. The class also features a variety of guest speakers, such as a farrier (an expert in horse hoof care and shoeing) and an equine bodyworker (who uses massage techniques to treat injuries and maintain overall wellness). Each class begins with a brief overview followed by a demonstration and a chance to put their new knowledge to the test by working with Dr. Raeths’ personal horses.
While many students in the class have worked with horses or have long nurtured an interest in the species, others have limited experience and a newly developed horse interest.
One such student is junior Danae Gossman, a current Animal Science major in the pre-vet track. Danae grew up in Iowa on her family’s cattle farm, and didn’t give horses much thought until she came to the U, where she encountered the Minnesota Equestrian Team at a fair for student clubs and organizations her freshman year. Soon after she started riding for the team.
“I fell in love with the species and decided I want to work with them in my future career as a veterinarian,” Danae says.
Fellow classmate and pre-vet sophomore Maggie Mayock has ridden horses since she was young, and also rides for the U’s Equestrian Team. She is majoring in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, and signed up for Horse Management Practicum to develop the skills needed to successfully own her own horse in the future.
“I took this class because I wanted to learn more about the management of horses,” Maggie explains. “I’ve typically always just been on the rider side, and I wanted to learn more about what it would look like to be a horse owner, which is something I might want to do later in life.”
Despite their different backgrounds, both students agree that regardless of the amount of prior experience with horses, students will find value in the hands-on experience it provides. While there is a prerequisite of ANSC 2055 (an online, semi-self-paced introductory horse management course), students from any major or program can take ANSC 2056.
As Dr. Raeth further explained, “Last year’s students' horse background was quite varied. Those with extensive horse experience still experienced new topics, refined their skills and acted as valuable resources for less experienced classmates. Students with little to no background with horses quickly gained confidence and developed essential horse management skills.”
“Everyone had a great time no matter what their background was,” recalls Danae. For example, “the lectures on forage analysis are especially useful to any student studying agriculture because Dr. Raeth actually goes over a forage report, something often underutilized outside the equine community.”
A highlight of the class for both Maggie and Danae was the farrier visit. The students got to see a hot shoeing demonstration, and learn about the professional world of being a farrier, giving them insight into one of many possible equine career paths.
“The [hot shoeing] demonstration was very cool, because I feel like unless you work at a barn or spend a lot of time at a barn, it’s not something you’d usually get to see,” Maggie explains.
Danae agrees; in fact, she says, the farrier demonstration, equine body work lesson, and forage analysis lecture have all already had real world applications for her: “I have used the skills learned in these lessons so often in my job as a barn hand and my riding lessons.”
Beyond developing practical skills, working hands-on with horses also gives students a deeper understanding of themselves and their ability to connect to another species.
“I believe that horses are amazing teachers of confidence,” says Danae. “Dr. Raeth brings in gentle and responsive horses that have a knack for making every student fall in love with them. I watched people go from borderline afraid of the horses to loving them by the end of the semester.”
It wasn't just the animals that made this class so rewarding. Both Maggie and Danae highlighted how much they enjoyed Dr. Raeth’s teaching style. Maggie appreciated the small class size and laid-back, personal approach to teaching practical skills and providing real-world horse experiences. “I always looked forward to horse class,” she says. “It was always exciting to just go and be there, and learn.”
At the end of the day, both students emphasized the extent to which there simply isn’t a substitute for hands-on learning with animals. “You can learn about something all you want on paper, but it’s going to be different in person with an animal,” says Maggie. “Being able to interact with the animals is so special because they interact with you too, and that’s not something you can read about.”
“Animals are not machines and it takes practice to understand them,” says Danae. “Learning about equine behavior in a book can't get a student nearly as far as actually being next to a horse.”
