Equestrian Management
The equestrian management minor grew out of Earlham’s equestrian program, the only entirely student-run cooperative and collegiate equestrian program in the country.
The equestrian management minor recognizes the significant work you will carry out as part of your training and leadership in managing Earlham’s barn and stables and teaching the program’s curriculum. The core courses orient you to co-op membership and provide training on everything from basic safety and horse care to teaching methods and consensus governance. Following training, you will contribute through the instructor courses, demonstrating achievement of program learning outcomes and gaining practical experience in the process.
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“The equestrian program is taking one of the first and very much needed steps to bridging together economic inequality with opportunity. Horses (and pretty much everything else associated with them) are expensive and not many parents are willing to sign their children up for lessons in which ‘the horse does all the work.’”
Kaitlyn Brunner ’17
Building community and leadership through shared experience
Earlham’s equestrian management minor provides a pathway for experienced and non-experienced students who want to channel their love of horses into a lifelong hobby or career and has shaped impressive leaders and capable horse people for generations.
This program also offers an opportunity for a lifetime of engagement through the Friends of Earlham College Stables (FOES), of which many members own horses and run barns. These alumni support the barn, visit biannually and collaborate with barn staff on major decisions, bringing invaluable mentorship to the program.
Join a student-run co-op
Run entirely by students, the Barn Co-op at Earlham is the only one like it in the country. Membership includes riding lessons.
Compete on the equestrian team
The team competes in horse shows through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.
Our faculty
Equestrian management faculty have extensive experience in college governance, curriculum, public health and science education. They advise the barn management team, oversee longer-term operations and provide a conduit between student leaders and the administration.
Frequently asked questions
The equestrian management minor combines courses from athletics, wellness and physical education, biology, economics, global management and more to prepare you for careers and lives that include horses.
Program electives and culminating experiences are flexible according to the various ways you envision horse work integrating into your life during and after college.
Whether you just love horses and want to include them in your course of study, or have an equine career in mind, the equestrian management minor may be for you. Examples of possible equine careers include: jobs related to horse recreation, horse shows and rodeos, veterinary medicine, breeding, education, animal nutrition, genetics and more.