Equine Business Management/Riding (BS)

The Equine Business Management/Riding bachelor’s degree program is designed for the student who desires a career in teaching, training and/or farm management. The program combines riding instruction, specialized academic equine courses and equine labs with business and general studies courses.

Upon completion of the program, graduates are expected to:

Design a comprehensive health plan that addresses the interaction between nutrition and disease and predicts the needs of different classes of horses.
Differentiate the relative merits of sport horses and use that evaluation to determine the most appropriate use for each type of horse.
Develop a comprehensive business plan for the management of all aspects of an equine-related business.
Evaluate the impact of available resources including environmental resources, effective marketing and regulatory compliance on equine businesses.
Apply appropriate ethics as they relate to managing an equine business, its employees and its horses.
Evaluate the impact of various international influences on the historical development of the modern equine industry.
Develop and implement a training program for a particular horse and evaluate the effectiveness of the training principles on horse and rider.
Equine Business Management/Riding students participate in riding classes focusing on dressage and jumping. Each course is individually tailored to the student’s competencies for maximum advancement. A unique feature of the riding program is the use of Eckart Meyners' warm-up routine and exercises to unblock the rider and achieve harmony with the horse. Student riding outcomes are measured through a certificate program that validates the rider’s progress in dressage and jumping. A study abroad program to Muenster, Germany is open to students with dressage and jumping skills and offers instruction and testing for the German bronze medals.