College
College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Department
Agricultural Education and Communication Department
Degree Name
Master of Agricultural Education
Date
6-2025
Advisor
Erin Gorter
Abstract
The Cal Poly Quarter Horse Enterprise began in 1978, when student riders brought Cal Poly-bred horses to futurity events to sell them. In 1996, Gene Armstrong brought the sale to Cal Poly, and ever since, the annual performance horse auction has broken records as one of the highest grossing collegiate horse sales in the nation. This sale not only provides funding for the care of over one hundred horses housed at the Equine Center for educational use, but also provides an opportunity for students to gain experience in starting and training young horses, as well as putting on a dynamic public auction event. This valuable opportunity for students is deeply rooted in the agricultural industry, good animal husbandry, and the application of ethical and effective training practices. The complex nature of this program has led to the creation of a detailed curriculum timeline that ensures that equine training outcomes and student event planning are met on tight deadlines. With the impending transition of Cal Poly’s campus to a semester format, the program has been restructured. The Quarter Horse Enterprise benefits from clear curriculum guidelines that help students ensure they are on pace with learning outcomes and meet all learning criteria, from horse training to event production. As such, I identified the need for a new curriculum plan to be developed to reflect altered school session timelines. In collaboration with the instructor responsible for the Quarter Horse Enterprise, Lou Moore-Jacobsen, I am striving to create a day-by-day detailed course outline for each advancing section that will reflect industry best practices and relevant outcomes to ensure that the new structure of the enterprise will allow both students and horses to achieve both program and course learning outcomes in an efficient and comprehensive manner.
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/aged_rpt/289