MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University will host the American Collegiate Horseman’s Association as part of an effort to increase knowledge and leadership skills around the horse industry.
The WVU Collegiate Horseman’s Association and the WVU Equine Studies Program in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design will host thousands of students and business leaders as part of the American Collegiate Horseman’s Association National Convention. The event will take place from April 12 until April 15, and there will be presentations and discussions that will take place in several parts of North Central West Virginia that will focus on all the available jobs in the horse industry.
“There are quite a few career opportunities within that industry, but not all are in equine medicine,” said WVU Professor of Animal Sciences, Crystal Smith. “So it could be farm management, sales, marketing, veterinary medicine, and some of the support services,” she said.
Presentations will begin on Wednesday night with a demonstration on equestrian healthcare at On Eagle’s Wings Therapeutic Horsemanship Center in Fairmont. Thursday will consist of team-building exercises based around West Virginia’s nature ahead of Friday’s panels and discussions from horse industry leaders at the Erickson Alumni Center. Among the leaders expected to speak will be American Horse Council President Julie Broadway, West Virginia Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Joe Hatton, WVU President Gordon Gee, and WVU Davis College of Agriculture Dean Darrell Donahue.
“We have alumni coming back that work in marketing, specifically for equine brands; we have people who work in animal health; we have people who work in farm management, like in thoroughbred farms,” said Smith. So it’s just a wide variety of the types of crews they might find,” she said.
On Saturday, there will be live presentations of saddlebred horses that will be hosted at the J.W. Ruby Research Farm in Reedsville as part of Horse Industry Day. To show the inner workings of taking care of a prestigious breed of horses in the Mountain State, Smith says that local saddlebred horse trainers and veterinary specialists will participate in presentations.
“We have two farms coming in that are going to bring world-class saddlebreds and do a demonstration about the breed,” Smith said. “We’re also doing demonstrations on veterinary chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage therapy,” she said.
Students at universities from North Dakota, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina will be in attendance at the American Collegiate Horseman’s Association National Convention. The goal of hosting the national convention is to increase the labor force in the horse industry, which Smith says has seen a shortage in recent years. Along with equine industry specialists, representatives from major horse industry leaders looking for students heading into the labor force are also expected to be in attendance.
“There is definitely a labor shortage as well, so employers are always looking for good employees that want to come out and work, especially in hands-on jobs with horses,” Smith said.