Maine Perspective Front Page
Student Enthusiasm High for Starting an Equine Program
When Kathy Wormwood enrolled at the University of Maine in 1995, she desperately missed the three horses she had grown up with. That love of horses often sends the most serious college-age horse enthusiast out of state to a university that has a campus-based equestrian program. For Wormwood, the solution was in moving her horses closer to Orono.
"I've had horses for 17 years. Once I started here, my parents moved up from Kennebunk so I could be close to my horses," says Wormwood, a junior animal science major at UMaine whose family now lives in Frankfort.
Wormwood sought out other horse enthusiasts like Hanne Hansen to talk about starting a riding team from the University. Their enthusiasm was contagious among other students, who communicated first among themselves between their classes in animal, veterinary and aquatic sciences. Soon they also were talking with peers in other disciplines via the campus' electronic communication system, FirstClass. They also were talking to Bruce Wiersma, dean of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture, and director of the Maine Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.
"I was impressed by their initiative," says Wiersma. "They reaffirmed students' desires about this and furthered the impetus to get things moving."
With news that the renovation of the Witter Center would include a barn for stabling horses, there were more than 50 students who expressed an interest in starting a horse club this fall. They are students who own horses and hope to one day house them at the Center, students who have a passion for horses and want on-campus access to equines, and those who have always wanted to be around horses and to learn to ride.
"A lot of people used to own horses and sold them to come to school," says Wormwood. "Some people have been riding forever and have been involved in 4-H or Pony Club. Some asked to join because they always wanted to ride.
"Horses are such an attraction for a lot of people, including many who have not had the opportunity to be around them. There's something special people feel about horses, a bond that you achieve with the animal. Riding is a good physical activity, a way to get outdoors and a stress reliever."
One of the first projects expected to be undertaken by members of the fledgling horse club is volunteering to help with renovation of one of the barns at the Witter Center in preparation for stabling horses. The hope is that the renovation will be largely complete by late fall, at which time horses on free lease from a Maine summer camp may be housed for the winter at the Witter Center and made accessible to the students.
Eventually plans for the Witter Center include construction of an outdoor riding ring and lunge area, and up to 24 box stalls.
News of the inclusion of horses in the renovation plans of the Witter Center has sparked similar interest and overtures of support from Maine's extensive community of horse lovers and enthusiasts. The students hope to tap into that support by having experts come to campus to talk to club members about various equine topics, by offering programs for area youth, and hosting clinics and shows. They also hope to explore the possibilities of establishment of an intercollegiate equestrian team.
"With this kind of a program, there will be more students here to major in animal science, as well as animals here to benefit students of other majors," she says. "There will still be students headed to UMass or UNH to take part in horse programs, but here we'll have more students &endash; especially more in-state students &endash; involved with animals they love most."