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a firm timeline for construction has not been established. When funding is secured, the
next phase of construction is slated to include the mare and stallion reproduction research centers, orthopedic surgery and wellness center, and refurnishing the Freeman Arena in order
to expand the university’s therapeutic riding program. All of it will allow Texas A&M to serve a broader audience of horsemen in the United States and around the world.
“The assessment committee said we needed to be broader in our approach to the people we’re serving – that we need to deal not only in Texas, but also nationally and internationally,” Heird related. “They said that we needed to rebuild or renovate our facilities so that they were modern and capable of being the ideal classroom and laboratory experience for people. And they said we needed to build friends and raise the money to do those things.
“I’m excited to put Texas A&M’s name and our facilities and our people out in front of as many people as we can,” Heird said of the progress the Equine Initiative has made over the past eight years. “It’s nice to look at all of the things we’re doing to enhance Texas A&M’s reputation within the equine industry. We think we are making an impact.”
Dr. Jim Heird will become the next President of the American Quarter Horse Association at the organization’s 2018 Convention on March 2-5 in Jacksonville, Florida.
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Dr. Jim Heird, Dr. Eleanor Green and D. Wayne Lukas