Amazing College Equestrian Centers

The Horse Teaching and Research Center at Michigan State University offers its students far more than the usual riding lessons and a spot on a competitive equestrian team. Since the 1940s, MSU's Animal Science Equine Program has been one of the top breeding programs in the country, and the school has bred countless world-caliber Belgians, Percherons, Quarter Horses, and Arabians. For those more interested in riding horses than breeding them, the 100-acre Center boasts a show/training barn, a large indoor arena, classrooms, and plenty of pastures for turnout.

The Equine Center at Murray State University plays host to the Equine Instructional Facility of the Equine Science department, as well as four intercollegiate horse show teams: hunt seat, stock seat, the Rodeo Team, and the Dressage Club. Facilities include the University Barn (for University-owned horses), several barns for student-owned horses, a lighted outdoor arena, a dressage arena, several round pens, and numerous turnouts and pasture spaces. For those studying in the Equine Program, the Center includes both traditional classroom spaces as well as hands-on areas for the study of equine management, reproduction, exercise physiology, and nutrition.

Penn State students studying in the Department of Animal Science have access to the university's Equine Facilities. The center includes two horse barns, an indoor arena, a round pen, and multiple paddocks and pastures for the school's more than 60 registered Quarter Horses. The research program maintains mares, stallions, and foals, and therefore even has a breeding shed and laboratory for semen collection and artificial insemination. Each year, the Equine Facilities hosts the Penn State Equine Science Showcase and Registered Quarter Horse Sale, one of the premiere Quarter Horse shows in the region.

There is a distinct "cowboy" feel at the Intermountain Equestrian Center, the primary equestrian facility for students at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. The Center consists of two indoor riding arenas, an outdoor arena, four barns with a total of 70 stalls, indoor and outdoor wash racks, a whopping 10 round pens, and a multitude of trail riding opportunities throughout adjacent public lands. And while most college equestrian centers have waiting lists or limited spots for personal horses, Rocky students who wish to bring their own horses to college with them can board them in a specially designated boarding area specifically for that purpose.

Stanford University's historic Red Barn goes back all the way to the time when what is now the university was a world-class horse racing facility. Stanford, aptly nicknamed "The Farm," is home to one of the West Coast's most dominant equestrian teams, as well as a number of top-notch trainers. Thus, the facility is state-of-the-art, and includes such features as nearly 100 stalls in the freshly restored Red Barn (the horses in which all receive a daily turnout), two covered lighted arenas with the best available footing, an oversized dressage arena, two lunging areas, and a Eurociser. When student riders aren't on horseback, locker rooms, showers, a clubhouse, and a picnic area all cater to their enjoyment.

Located a mere mile from Sweet Briar College's main quad, the Harriet Howell Rogers Riding Center consistently ranks among the very best college equestrian facilities. The incredible 120' x 300' Robin S. Cramer Hall is one of the largest indoor college arenas in the nation, and comes complete with a heated viewing area and a sound system. On the rare occasion the arena is too busy, students also have access to three outdoor rings, a covered lunging area, several schooling fields that include natural obstacles, and a large collection of USEF-approved hunter/jumper fences. When an easy hack is needed, students and horses alike are sure to enjoy the more than 18 miles of serene trails. A large barn houses 80 big box stalls, while five tack rooms, 20 individual paddocks, and 10 large turnout pastures provide for the best possible quality of life for both students and horses.

The James L. Child Jr. Equestrian Complex is home to the English Equestrian Program at the University of Findlay in Ohio (the Western Equestrian Program is housed in a separate facility). Conveniently located four miles from the main campus, the 32-acre facility offers students access to two indoor arenas, an outdoor arena, a grass jumping field, large classrooms, individual tack lockers, and enough stalls and paddocks for 130 horses. Uniquely, the Complex is also home to the University Equine Veterinary Services, Inc., a veterinary clinic offering emergency and routine services for the general public.

The Maine Chance Equine Campus at University of Kentucky is used almost exclusively for teaching and research. Located six miles from the main campus, on the grounds of the former Maine Chance Farm, the facility includes several barns and more than 25 pastures and paddocks to house the more than 100 horses that reside there. Each state-of-the-art barn is comprehensively designed for a specific aspect of equine science. For example, The Nutrition Barn's 12 large pens are specifically designed to study the effects of dietary changes on growing horses, exercising horses, and broodmares, while a laboratory facility handles everything from in vitro incubators to equipment necessary for studying atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

Utah State University's Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Department has dedicated itself to educating those interested in working in Utah's 700 million dollar equine industry. Its Equine Education Center sits on more than 26 acres, and includes a state-of-the-art indoor arena, a 2400-square foot barn, and a classroom complex that can host 100 students at a time. Because of its top-of-the-line facilities, the Center hosts 10-15 equine-related events per year.

The Equestrian Complex at Williams Woods University is undoubtedly one of the most amazing of its kind. The Complex is as much about the study of horses as it is the riding. Classrooms include state-of-the-art viewing equipment, while an on-site library holds more than 1,000 books on all aspects of the equine industry. More than 150 show-quality horses are housed on site in four turnout paddocks and four heated barns. Students have the option of riding in two heated indoor arenas, a lighted outdoor arena, a USEF regulation Dressage arena, a USEF regulation jumping arena, or a 40-acre cross-country course.