Rutgers Students Raise Yearlings for Auction

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Students at Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences have groomed the 10^th class of yearlings for auction as part of the Young Horse Teaching and Research program.

The yearling class of 2009 includes 14 draft crosses, with a variety builds and a spectrum of colors, ranging from solid black to splashy paints. More than half are partial or full siblings to previous “graduates.” During the spring semester, Rutgers undergraduates who are involved in the program will prepare their young equine charges for futures as competitors or pleasure horses in a wide variety of disciplines, including dressage, hunter/jumpers, competitive trail and driving. In addition, students will collect growth data and test experimental feeds on the young animals during the programs’ research component.

The popular program was started 10 years ago by Animal Sciences Professor Sarah Ralston, combining her interest in transportation stress and growing horse nutrition with her teaching program. The reputation of the program has grown, and for the past five years, it has been fully funded by generous donors, auction proceeds and sponsors of horses and students.

The horses are chosen from herds at Hiatt Ranch in North Dakota and two North American Equine Ranching Information Council (NAERIC) Sport Horse breeders in Canada: Ravine Ranch and Early Dawn Sport Horses. In July, a group of Rutgers students and recent graduates, led by Dr. Ralston, selected foals based on temperament, conformation and breeding. Part of the research program focus is to determine the nutritional requirements of warmblood and draft cross horses, about which very little is currently known. Arriving in New Brunswick in September, the young horses stepped off the trailer as wide-eyed, four-month-old weanlings, ready to be taught the basics of ground manners by the students involved in the program.

More than 30 students work with the horses throughout the year. They are responsible for the horses’ daily care and training, as well as aiding in research trials and educating the public about the program. By the time the yearlings are shown in the annual Ag Field Day (now a component of Rutgers Day) Horse Show on Saturday, April 25, they will be accustomed to being groomed, dewormed and having their hooves trimmed. They will also have a solid education in basic ground manners, which includes standing still, walking, trotting, backing up and turning on command and standing tied while being groomed. The students spend a lot of time “despooking” the young horses by getting them accustomed to unknown experiences, such as walking over feed bags, rake handles and blankets on the ground, open umbrellas, jumping dogs, and even an animated, talking stuffed toy!

The yearlings will be sold at the Annual Rutgers NAERIC Yearling Auction at 11 a.m., Sunday, April 26 in the Round House on College Farm Road, George H. Cook Campus. Proceeds go toward funding the program for the following year.

Each horse has a unique history and personality. To learn more about them, visit the Young Horse Teaching and Research Program student-run web site at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~ruhorse, where students write regular updates about the horses’ progress. Contact Dr. Ralston (732-932-9404 or ralston@aesop.rutgers.edu) for more information or to make an appointment to visit the horses.