| Entire Site Protected Under Copyright 2004-2012, Draft Cross Breeders & Owners. All rights reserved Terms and Conditions |
News Center
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. —The 10th class of Rutgers University Young Horse Teaching and
Research Program horses made it through their fall semester with flying colors. The “class of
2009” yearlings represent a spectrum of colors and builds. This year’s group of 14 draft crosses
includes everything from solid black to splashy paints, over half of which are half or full sibling to
previous “graduates”.
In the spring semester the undergraduate Rutgers students involved in the program will continue
to prepare their young equine charges for futures as competitors or pleasure horses in a wide
variety of disciplines, including dressage, hunter/jumpers, competitive trail and driving. In addition
they will also be collecting growth data on the young animals, testing experimental feeds at the
Ryders Lane barn on Cook Campus in New Brunswick in the research component of the program.
The Young Horse Teaching and Research Program at Rutgers University was started 10 years
ago by Dr. Sarah Ralston, combining her interest in transportation stress and growing horse
nutrition with her teaching program. The reputation of the program has grown and for the past 5
years it has been fully funded by generous donors, auction proceeds and sponsors of horses and
students. The horses are chosen from herds at Hiatt Ranch in North Dakota and two North
American Equine Ranching Information Council (NAERIC) Sport Horse breeders in Canada,
Ravine Ranch and Early Dawn Sport Horses in July. A group of Rutgers students and recent
graduates, led by Dr. Sarah Ralston, select foals based on temperament and conformation and
breeding, since part of the research program focus is to determine the nutritional requirements of
warmblood and draft cross horses, about which very little is currently known. Arriving in New
Brunswick in September, the young horses step off the trailer as wide-eyed four-month-old
weanlings, ready to be taught the basics of ground manners by the students involved in program
at the George H. Cook Campus in New Brunswick.
More than 30 students work with the horses throughout the year. They are responsible for the
horses’ daily care and training, as well as aiding in research trials and educating the public about
the program. By the time the yearlings are shown by their students in the annual Ag Field day
Horse Show on Saturday, April 25, they will be accustomed to being groomed, having their feet
trimmed and being dewormed regularly. They will also have a solid education in basic ground
manners, which includes standing still, walking, trotting, backing up and turning on command and
standing tied while being groomed. The students also spend a lot of time “despooking” the young
horses by getting them accustomed potentially scary things like walking over feed bags, rake
handles and blankets on the ground and approaching open umbrellas, jumping dogs, and even
an animated, talking stuffed toy!
The yearlings will be sold at the Annual Rutgers NAERIC Yearling Auction on Sunday, April 26 in
the Round House on College Farm Road, Cook Campus. Proceeds go towards funding the
program for the following year.
Each horse has a unique history and personality, to get to know them, visit the Young Horse
Teaching and Research Program student-run Web site at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~ruhorse,
where the students write regular “blurbs” about “their” horse’s progress. Contact Dr. Ralston (732-
932-9404 or e-mail: Ralston@aesop.rutgers.edu) for more information or to make an
appointment to visit the horses.
Research Program horses made it through their fall semester with flying colors. The “class of
2009” yearlings represent a spectrum of colors and builds. This year’s group of 14 draft crosses
includes everything from solid black to splashy paints, over half of which are half or full sibling to
previous “graduates”.
In the spring semester the undergraduate Rutgers students involved in the program will continue
to prepare their young equine charges for futures as competitors or pleasure horses in a wide
variety of disciplines, including dressage, hunter/jumpers, competitive trail and driving. In addition
they will also be collecting growth data on the young animals, testing experimental feeds at the
Ryders Lane barn on Cook Campus in New Brunswick in the research component of the program.
The Young Horse Teaching and Research Program at Rutgers University was started 10 years
ago by Dr. Sarah Ralston, combining her interest in transportation stress and growing horse
nutrition with her teaching program. The reputation of the program has grown and for the past 5
years it has been fully funded by generous donors, auction proceeds and sponsors of horses and
students. The horses are chosen from herds at Hiatt Ranch in North Dakota and two North
American Equine Ranching Information Council (NAERIC) Sport Horse breeders in Canada,
Ravine Ranch and Early Dawn Sport Horses in July. A group of Rutgers students and recent
graduates, led by Dr. Sarah Ralston, select foals based on temperament and conformation and
breeding, since part of the research program focus is to determine the nutritional requirements of
warmblood and draft cross horses, about which very little is currently known. Arriving in New
Brunswick in September, the young horses step off the trailer as wide-eyed four-month-old
weanlings, ready to be taught the basics of ground manners by the students involved in program
at the George H. Cook Campus in New Brunswick.
More than 30 students work with the horses throughout the year. They are responsible for the
horses’ daily care and training, as well as aiding in research trials and educating the public about
the program. By the time the yearlings are shown by their students in the annual Ag Field day
Horse Show on Saturday, April 25, they will be accustomed to being groomed, having their feet
trimmed and being dewormed regularly. They will also have a solid education in basic ground
manners, which includes standing still, walking, trotting, backing up and turning on command and
standing tied while being groomed. The students also spend a lot of time “despooking” the young
horses by getting them accustomed potentially scary things like walking over feed bags, rake
handles and blankets on the ground and approaching open umbrellas, jumping dogs, and even
an animated, talking stuffed toy!
The yearlings will be sold at the Annual Rutgers NAERIC Yearling Auction on Sunday, April 26 in
the Round House on College Farm Road, Cook Campus. Proceeds go towards funding the
program for the following year.
Each horse has a unique history and personality, to get to know them, visit the Young Horse
Teaching and Research Program student-run Web site at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~ruhorse,
where the students write regular “blurbs” about “their” horse’s progress. Contact Dr. Ralston (732-
932-9404 or e-mail: Ralston@aesop.rutgers.edu) for more information or to make an
appointment to visit the horses.