I'm currently attending the University of Findlay double majoring in western riding and business management. I've completed everything to get myself an associate degree in the western riding and I'd basically be paying [way too much] to get a business management degree.

My original plan was to get a 4 year degree in western riding, but I'm not too thrilled about the way the place is run lately and I bumped my goal down to a 2 year degree with the 4 year business management.

Last night I was watching the new Quarter Horse show on OLN and they did a profile on West Texas A&M's equine industry program. I was impressed with the little bit they showed.

Can anyone elaborate a bit on the program they have there? What a typical day is like? What the facilities are like? Etc

Any information is appreciated!

 

Somehow I doubt you'll get much help on that one....but we'll see.

A bit of advice......I don't know what your goals in life are but I can pretty much tell you that business management degree will probably get you much farther in life than a western riding degree. Be sure you follow through with that one.

Oh yeah....anything with the words "Texas A&M" in its title is going to be a good school.

 

I was originally majoring in Equine Science (western riding emphasis) and Equine Business Management.

The horse industry is known for being hard to break in to, so I changed my second major to regular Business Management. That would give me something to fall back on. Not to mention business principles and concepts are going to be the same whether you have a horse related emphasis on it or not.

I look it as Business Management is the overall picture and Equine Business Management would be sort of a subcategory of it. I'd rather have a broad background.

 

Good thinkin'.

 

What does a degree in “western riding” consist of? I spent a lot of time in “cow camps “ when I was younger, and have been thrown a few times…. Make that a lot of times do I get collage credit for that?

 

http://www.findlay.edu/academics/cos/eqst/

It's a horse training degree.

Last year we worked with broke horses to learn the basics of horsemanship, showmanship, reining, line driving, trail, and pleasure.

This year we broke out colts. One each semester. They have to be far enough along at the end of the semester to show in trail, showmanship, and one riding class (I chose pleasure).

Junior and Senior years you get multiple horses at once. Mostly greenbroke. This is where you teach them to do reining, cutting, and some of the other advanced things.

 

It is probably much easier to do most any type of business with a business mgmt degree than it is with a specialized degree such as equine business mgmt degree. With your background, I wouldnt think you would have any real advantage breaking into the horse business with a equine business degree over a business mgmt. As hoss said, anything with a "Texas A&M" will do you good.

 

You went to college to learn all that? My mom taught me how to do that. Just razzing ya. You'd be better off going with the business management degree than the equine one.

 

Go LongHorns!

 

Keep those shorthorns outta this, Greg....... Aggies Rule!




Jared

 

Can't tell you much about the school , but their equine facility is excellent, I am fresh off of the livestock judging circuit and have been there a couple of times. The whole facility is really nice. From the indoor arena to the stalls that are on the back side of the building, to well just about everything.