Page 122 - Speedhorse February 2018

REACHING OUT
Texas A&M University’s Equine Initiative is allowing the venerable institution to expand its reach and influence in the horse industry.
by Stacy Pigott • photos by Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse
Texas A&M University has been a vital
contributor to the equine industry for
generations, advancing horse welfare and
care through cutting-edge research as well as
graduating the industry’s future leaders. Eight
years ago, the Equine Initiative was developed
to help keep Texas A&M at the forefront of state. So horses are a major economic driver
care. That said, when we did an assessment of our program in 2010, one of the things the assessment committee said was, ‘You’re bigger than Texas. You need to be thinking about a program that’s not just Texas or national but international in scope, and you need to train
Dr. Jim Heird, Ph.D., is the Glenn Blodgett Equine Chair and Executive Professor and Coordinator of the Equine Initiative at Texas A&M University. “Texas has the largest number of horses of any state in the country,
in fact, twice as many as the second-place
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the benefits of that ambitious program are beginning to be felt by faculty, researchers and students, as well as members of the greater equine community and general public.
in agriculture in Texas,” said Dr. Heird. “We need animal scientists capable of managing facilities, and capable of managing and caring for the horses, and we need veterinarians capable of doing that as well as handling veterinary
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The Hildebrand Family Courtyard sits outside the Texas A&M Equestrian Team facilities, and their gift to the university was a cornerstone for construction of the new complex.
120 SPEEDHORSE, February 2018