The only two-year equine program in Minnesota saddles up at RCTC

By Amy Hahn

Article contributed by Rochester Women's Magazine

The phrase “horsin’ around” takes on a whole new meaning at Rochester Community and Technical College this fall. The two-year college will inaugurate a new equine program that allows horse enthusiasts to turn their hobby into a career.

The driving force behind this new education endeavor is Audrey Lidke, a counselor at RCTC and a horse enthusiast, who recognized a need for such a program when she helped many students in pursuit of equine degrees.

“I assisted dozens of students in transfer to colleges that offered equine programs,” recalls Lidke. “The area lost a lot of talent. I kept mentioning that we should get an equine program here at RCTC, but no one took up the call. After some encouragement from my colleagues, I sent out a survey to the area high schools asking if they would be interested in an equine program. The response back was overwhelmingly positive.”

Thorough(bred) Development

With that positive response, Lidke started to formulate goals about an area equine facility and an educational program that would help grow and support the equine industry in the Rochester area.

Combining forces with Netta Putzier of Rochester Feed and Pet, Lidke held a general meeting for the public in the fall of 2002 to see what type of interest there would be. And there was interest. Curious and excited people filled a lecture hall to hear what Lidke and Putzier had to say. The creation of the Rochester Regional Equestrian Center (RREC), an organization that supports the equine science program, was a result of that meeting. The non-profit organization has nine board members from the area and the goal of the RREC is to “enrich our community through equine science, education and recreation.” Jumping on board to create curriculum for the equine classes was Dr. Pam Whitfield who introduced herself to Lidke at a local horse show.

“When I heard she (Lidke) needed people to help develop curriculum, I figured that was my niche,” says Whitfield, who teaches equine and English courses at RCTC. “I went to a college with a top-notch equestrian program, I have worked in the horse industry professionally since I graduated, and I have years of classroom teaching experience.”

Once the curriculum was designed, it took about a year of fine-tuning before it was accepted at RCTC and at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the governing body of four-year and two-year state colleges in Minnesota. RCTC began offering equine courses in the spring of 2004 with Whitfield and Terry Lauth, owner of Bar L Stable of Eyota, taking the reins in the classroom. 

“The program’s strength is its balance of academic and theory-based information with skills-based, hands-on learning,” says Whitfield. “Our students do more than sit at desks. They take field trips, do stable practicums, handle and train young horses, work at local barns, go to horse shows and judging practices.”

Filling the Stable

Classes include Light Horse Management, Stable Management, Fundamentals of Horse Handling and Training, Equine Anatomy, Physiology and Disease Management, and various horsemanship classes. Students can enroll on a part-time or full-time basis and range from teenagers in the college’s post-secondary program to women in their fifties.

 “So far, students who have enrolled in the program have a varied background of interests. Many have taken it for lifelong learning rather than planning to do this for a career,” says Lidke. “They already own their horses and just want more information.”

Heather Jordan, a clinical assistant in family medicine at Mayo Clinic, is one of those students. She has wanted to take equine classes for a very long time, but the two colleges that offered an equine program, University of Minnesota-Crookston and University of Wisconsin-River Falls, were too far away. Jordan works full-time and is the mother of two young children. She plans on enrolling in the RCTC equine program.

“I was ecstatic when I found out RCTC was trying to start an equine program. I love everything about all the courses. I am able to take the equine courses in Rochester. I love meeting all the local horse people and I am learning some very helpful tips.”

Jordan enthusiastically shares that she has learned better management of her horses and has improved the design of her future stable where she plans on breeding, training, and boarding horses.

Mag Kunesh is another student thrilled with the offering of equine courses. Kunesh runs 3 Feathers Horsemanship in rural Goodhue. Her horsemanship program cultivates self-awareness through animals and nature. Kunesh started to take classes at RCTC because of the availability and proximity.

“There is a great standard of excellence to strive for and RCTC’s equine program intends to arrange that,” compliments Kunesh. “It is very exciting to have the school of equine science in our area. There certainly is growth in the horse world. The sooner people have the chance to learn about horses the sooner they can sort out the different paths in the equine industry and get on with their careers.” Kunesh adds that it is important to have a place for horse owners to congregate, gather information, sort through that information and apply it.

Galloping Speed

Degrees offered include a one-year certificate or a two-year A.A.S. degree specializing in Horse Husbandry or Riding/Training. A third option is an A.S. degree in Equine Business Management that transfers to UM-Crookston where students can major in Equine Industries Management and receive a four-year degree.

It is the only two-year equine program in Minnesota and will benefit the entire southeast corner of the state. One goal of the RREC is to provide an affordable space for the program to grow. The organization hopes to obtain land near the college and build an indoor heated space to house the school horses until an educational wing is added, and to be used by the community for evenings and weekends.

“When one person becomes safer, happier, more competent or more confident with their horse, then we all benefit,” says Whitfield. “Even the horses benefit because education results in greater animal welfare. The local economy benefits because of seminars, clinics, horse shows and other events that will happen in Rochester as a direct offshoot of this program.”

For more information about the program and classes contact Audrey at audrey.lidke@roch.edu or at 507-285-7469. Information about the program is also available online at www.rctc.edu/program/eqsc.

Amy Hahn is an instructor of English and journalism at RCTC and a freelance writer.