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.
Specialized science-based equine classes develop the understanding of the functioning of the horse with study in anatomy, lameness, physiology, sports therapy, genetics, nutrition, diseases and reproduction. Further classes develop the ability to evaluate horses for sport, develop a farm management plan and manage horse shows. Through these equine academic courses, graduates are expected to demonstrate competencies in formulating rations, designing a herd health program, selecting sport horses and developing an equine business plan.
Equine students participate in professionally focused educational activities at the Center for Equine Studies in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. Students gain experience in all aspects of horse management including health and dental maintenance, nutrition, facilities management, equipment usage, trailering, lunging, ground driving, vaccination and anthelmintic programs.
Many students participate in the internship program which allows them to work in the equine industry at approved establishments. A sampling of the positions that students have filled upon graduation include instructor/trainer, farm manager, equine advertising account manager, sales representative, insurance agent, horse show personnel, horse/breed association publicist and veterinary assistant.
Business courses emphasize the connection between the equine industry and the business world. Students may tailor their degree through the selection of numerous courses in other colleges and schools at JWU.
In the Equine Business Management/Riding program, students are required to personally manage and ride horses without assistance. All horses, including those maintained in the program, have different temperaments and behaviors that require varying levels of skill. In addition, different horses can carry loads of different sizes. Generally, horses can safely carry up to 20 percent of their body weight.
In order to take part in and/or progress in the program, the student must have the necessary skill level to safely and effectively manage a horse that can bear the student’s weight load. The university maintains a number of different horses at different sizes and with different temperaments. However, the university does not represent that there will be a horse available for students whose weight and/or skill level limits the options of available horses. In the event a student is unable to progress in the program for this reason, the university will work with the student to transition the student into another academic program with as minimal disruption to the student’s academic progress as possible.
Admission to the Equine Business Management/Riding degree program requires prior riding experience and the submission of a video showing riding competencies. Admission to this program is limited and early application is recommended.
Extracurricular Activities
Johnson & Wales’ equine programs offer a variety of extracurricular activities for students, including student dressage shows, schooling shows, seminars and clinics. The university hosts seminars and career nights with nationally recognized speakers from the equine industry. Recent speakers include Jochen Schleese and Dr. Bayard Rucker. A well-established clinic program rounds out students’ educational experiences through participation and observation of various teaching and training techniques. Clinicians such as Sybille Crafts, Sarah Geikie, Shannon Dueck and Ann Guptil have participated in this program.
Johnson & Wales University participates in equine sports through two distinct competitive teams: Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) and Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA). The IHSA team competes in hunter seat equitation throughout New England and hosts shows annually at the Center for Equine Studies.
The university is a charter member of the Intercollegiate Dressage Association, hosts two competitions yearly and travels regionally to compete. The university is president college for Northeast Region A. The university’s dressage team has won numerous regional and national awards and has been represented at every national championship by team members. In 2012 Johnson & Wales University won the National Championship and in 2013 was the reserve national champion team for IDA.
The university participates in events through several combined tests held at the Equine Center. Students have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge through selected field trips including Equine Affaire and the annual upstate New York breeding farms trip.
The Facility
The home of Johnson & Wales’ equine studies programs, the Center for Equine Studies, is located in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, a short drive from Providence. The farm includes a 170’ x 70’ mirrored indoor riding hall with waxed footing, radiant heat, attached 32-stall barn, pastures and turnout paddocks. It also features two round-pens used for schooling horses. Rounding out the facility are two show-quality outdoor arenas: a 225’ x 100’ multipurpose jumping ring and a 220’ x 80’ dressage ring. A new addition to the facility is a derby-style jumping field with banks, ditches, and step jumps. Students gain knowledge of riding in the open and setting pace.
The Center for Equine Studies is equipped with a pine-paneled observation room housing state-of-the-art communication technology that allow clinicians to address students and spectators during mounted lessons.
The horses for school use are all selected for their training and temperament. Many different breeds are represented, including Dutch Warmblood, Hanoverian, Swedish Warmblood, Holsteiner, Thoroughbred, Oldenburg, Quarter Horse and Morgan. Many of the horses have successful show records which include competition experience at the FEI level of dressage, on the hunter/jumper circuit and in eventing.
Equine Business Management/Riding
A four-year program leading to the bachelor of science degree
Credits Major Courses | ||
| EQN1001 | Introduction to Equine Studies | 4.5 |
| EQN1010 | Equine Physiology and Sports Therapy | 4.5 |
| EQN1020 | Equine Anatomy and Lameness | 4.5 |
| EQN1080 | Equine Management Lab I | 2.25 |
| EQN2000 | Equine Diseases | 4.5 |
| EQN2010 | Equine Nutrition | 4.5 |
| EQN2074 | Equine Facilities and Management Laboratory | 4.5 |
| EQN3000 | Foundations of Riding Theory | 4.5 |
| EQN3010 | Equine Reproduction and Genetics | 4.5 |
| EQN3040 | Sport Horse Evaluation and Judging | 4.5 |
| EQN4050 | Horse Farm Management | 4.5 |
| Required Riding Courses | ||
| Choose 9 credits of the following: | 9 | |
| Fundamentals Of Collegiate Riding I | ||
| Fundamentals of Collegiate Riding II | ||
| Introduction to Dressage | ||
| Intermediate Combined Training I | ||
| Intermediate Combined Training II | ||
| Fundamentals of Hunter Seat Equitation | ||
| Training Level Dressage | ||
| First Level Dressage | ||
| Second Level Dressage | ||
| Third Level Dressage | ||
| Advanced Combined Training I | ||
| Advanced Combined Training II | ||
| Hunter Seat Equitation Novice | ||
| Fourth Level and FEI Dressage | ||
| Hunter Seat Equitation Intermediate | ||
| Hunter Seat Equitation Open | ||
| Major Elective | ||
| Choose 4.5 credits from the EQN offerings numbered 1000-4999 or ASCI4799 * | 4.5 | |
| Related Professional Studies | ||
| ACCT1210 | Financial Accounting | 4.5 |
| ACCT1220 | Managerial Accounting | 4.5 |
| CAR0010 | Career Management | 1 |
| ECON1002 | Microeconomics | 4.5 |
| FISV2000 | Finance | 4.5 |
| FIT1040 | Spreadsheet Design for Business Solutions | 4.5 |
| LAW2001 | The Legal Environment of Business I | 4.5 |
| MGMT1001 | Contemporary Business Management I | 4.5 |
| MGMT2001 | Human Resource Management | 4.5 |
| or MRKT1001 | Principles of Marketing | |
| A&S Core Experience | ||
| Communications Foundation Courses | 13.5 | |
| English Composition | ||
| Advanced Composition and Communication | ||
| Communication Skills | ||
| Integrative Learning | 9 | |
Two ILS courses, one at the 2000 level, one at the 4000 level | ||
| Arts and Humanities | 9 | |
Two courses from different disciplines: ART, HIST, HUM‡, LIT, PHIL or REL | ||
| Mathematics | 9 | |
| A Survey of College Mathematics (or higher, based on student's placement) | ||
| Statistics | ||
| Science | 4.5 | |
| Introduction to Life Science | ||
| Social Science | 9 | |
| Macroeconomics | ||
One course from ANTH°°, LEAD, PSCI, PSYC or SOC | ||
| A&S Electives | 9 | |
Two courses with an EASC attribute, at least one at 3000 level or higher. | ||
| Free Electives # | ||
| 22.5 credits selected from 1000-4999 numbered offerings within the university. | 22.5 | |
| Total Credits | 183.25 | |
| * | Students may use up to 9.0 free elective credits as additional internship credits. |
Visit Courses by Subject Code for a listing of all campus courses.
‡HUM courses are not offered in North Miami or Online.
^BIO courses are not offered in North Miami, Charlotte or Online.
¶CAD courses are not offered Online.
±CHM courses are not offered in North Miami or Online.
°PHY courses are not offered in Charlotte.
°°ANTH courses are not offered in North Miami or Charlotte.
# In addition to classes, free elective credit can be applied to a number of options such as Directed Experiential Education (DEE), Internship, Minor or Study Abroad. For Accelerated Master's program students, up to 3 graduate-level courses may apply. Students are strongly encouraged to contact an advisor before scheduling free elective credits.
NOTE: Students must pass MATH0010 Basic Mathematics or have equivalent placement scores to enroll in required math course(s).
Students who graduate with a bachelor's degree must leave Johnson & Wales University with effective writing skills. These writing skills will be assessed at the completion of ENG1021 Advanced Composition and Communication .
In collaboration with academic colleges across all JWU campuses, JWU Study Abroad programs offer a variety of options for major, minor, Arts & Science, and elective credit at many price points for students during the academic year and summer. Financial aid is applicable and scholarships are available. Visit the study abroad website for information, program descriptions and online applications.