**For Immediate Release**
It’s All About Horses
-released by OPSU Campus Communications 09-01-06
by Laura Dahl
Goodwell, Okla. — Channing
Hawks, Oklahoma Panhandle State University Equine Science
Instructor not only teaches, she also advises the Equine
Science Club, and serves as the OPSU Equestrian Team
coach. This 2003 OPSU graduate is doing what she loves.
As an instructor, she teaches the
introduction courses in Horsemanship, Equine Science
and Equine Training and Care. She also instructs Advanced
Equine Training. While she devotes some time to teaching
in the classroom, much of it is spent at the recently
renovated Equine Science Center at the OPSU Farm. There,
she instructs students in everything from basic horse
care to training horses for a variety of uses. Each student
in the training classes feeds, grooms, and “educates” two or three
project horses per semester, working with animals to accustom
them to routine handling such as hoof cleaning and being
led with a halter. The horses used as projects include
some of OPSU’s own stock, donated horses, and some
customer horses provided by producers operating area farms
and ranches. Students are graded continually by demonstrating
what they have taught their project horses. Several Equine
Science students also compete for the Equestrian Team.
The Equestrian Team competes as a
club sport in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association
(IHSA). With over 300 teams and over 6,000 riders, it
is the largest intercollegiate equestrian association
in the world. The 12 members of OPSU’s
team are currently all women, but men may also compete.
Students may compete in Western style riding and traditional
English riding. Prior to competition, students complete
a questionnaire to ascertain how much experience they have
had riding and whether or not they have competed in horse
shows. Each is then ranked in one of six competitive classes
ranging from beginner to veteran competitor.
At each show, participants only provide
their own fancy Western or English riding clothes. The
host school provides horses and tack. The competitors
are allowed to watch all of the horses warm up and pay
close attention to each one’s
strengths and weaknesses. Horses and their riders are matched
up by drawing names from a bucket. According to Hawks, “Competition
is all about the contestant’s ability to handle whatever
horse is drawn and students are judged only on horsemanship.”
Thanks to Channing Hawks and her
commitment to horses and teaching, OPSU equine students
have the opportunity to not only learn the formal aspects
of horse care and training, they also get plenty of important
hands-on experience and have the chance to compete against
students across the country in the show ring. For more
information about OPSU’s Equine Science program,
email Hawks at chawks@opsu.edu or telephone her at 580-349-1517.
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