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Equine Students Teach International Horsemanship Clinics
August 17, 2009
Writer: Courtney Coufal, cacoufal@tamu.edu, 979-845-1542
COLLEGE STATION -- “Four students studying equine science at Texas A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences taught horsemanship clinics in Europe this summer .
Department of Animal Science graduate student Cassidy Kurtz of Steamboat Springs, Colo., along with undergraduate students Derrick Caddell of Devine, Brittanie Wells of Navasota, and Teresa Meier of Fulshear instructed at the International Horsemanship Clinics from July 12-Aug. 3 in Sala and Malmo, Sweden, and Wenden, Germany.
The program, sponsored by the American Quarter Horse Association, provides university students the opportunity to teach European western riding enthusiasts with basic and advanced riding skills.
About 20 European riders attended the clinics. Topics covered basic horsemanship, control of a horse’s body, lead changes and education on proper feeding, conformation, and equipment usage.
Dr. Clay Cavinder, assistant professor with the Department of Animal Science, coordinated and assisted the team from Texas A&M.
“This program offers a phenomenal opportunity for our animal science students who are interested in the horse industry,” Cavinder said. “It provides these selected few students a first-hand look at the cultural differences and similarities that our equine industry shares with the European market.”
“Participating in this program promote beyond national borders the top-quality education available in the Department of Animal Science and its equine science section as well as at Texas A&M,” he added.
“These young people have a chance to teach information they learned in our program at Texas A&M to people in a foreign country; thus, people abroad are benefiting from the well-educated students that we have in our equine program at Texas A&M.”
This is the third year Cavinder has traveled with a group of Texas A&M students. The program is limited to four or five students per year and requires the students to have participated in the Texas Horsemanship Clinics.
Photo: (l. to r.) Derrick Caddell, Teresa Meier, Dr. Clay Cavinder, Brittanie Wells, Cassidy Kurtz spent three weeks in Europe this summer participating in the International Horsemanship Clinics.
For More Information:
Department of Animal Science-Equine Science Section
About the college:
With an enrollment of almost 6,700 students in 14 academic departments, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees and has a faculty of nearly 400 members, including two Nobel laureates. Research programs include food sustainability and safety, human and animal health, genetics, renewable natural resources and bioenergy. Mark Hussey is Vice Chancellor and Dean.
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