ufadminDown on the Farms
UF’s Animal Science and Equestrian Facilities Offer Much to Students
BY JACK BARGER ’01
The University of Findlay prides itself on creating and maintaining great living quarters and facilities for our students, so it’s no surprise that we have done the same for the animals who live at our barns and help to provide our students with the hands-on learning the University is equally proud of. Between the three facilities – The Western Equestrian Riding Barn and the Dale Wilkinson Arena, University of Findlay’s Pre-Veterinary Barn and the Dr. C. Richard Beckett Animal Science Building, and The James L. Child, Jr. English Equestrian Center – you’ll find students from all over the country, 1,700 animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, pigs and horses, championship walls, and between them all, around four million pounds of hay used annually! Below is just some of the other amenities available to students, animals, and faculty.
The Western Barn and Arena:
• Houses three indoor arenas to do drills and practice.
• Assists the only Ranch Horse team at the collegiate level. The teams compete against local riders in the Findlay area.
• Holds shows for Youth Equestrian Development Association, mainly during the summer months.
• Has students clean stalls three days a week, two for underclassmen, and typically one for juniors and seniors so they can focus on riding more.
• Boasts a Robo Cow, one of the very few that universities have for “cutting” cattle, used for practicing the modern equestrian competition requiring a horse and rider to separate a single cow from a herd of cattle and prevent it from getting back to the herd.
• Has round outdoor pens used to breakout horses.
Dr. C. Richard Beckett Animal Science Building:
• Is 31,000 sq. ft. and was built in 2009.
• Has about 1,000 animals.
• Has cattle and sheep chutes for things like weighing and giving medication.
• Where ultrasound and reproduction courses take place.
• Finds students docking tails, tagging ears, and shearing sheep.
• Includes a heated maternity room for babies.
• Where students do minor surgeries starting in week three.
• Holds a farm equipment management class that allows for students to get certified.
• Houses the largest Lowline Angus cattle herd – extremely efficient range animals – in North America.
• In which lives Libby, a dairy cow with a rumen fistula – a painless and permanent hole between her abdominal cavity and the outside world – which provides students with a unique opportunity to study processes inside the cow.
The English Equestrian Riding Barn:
• Houses three indoor arenas.
• Has a lounge with several large windows for viewing shows and classes.
• Where you can find freshmen for three hours a day, every single day of the semester.
• Has a fully functioning equine vet clinic, complete with a pharmacy.
• Houses exceptionally well-accomplished horses, which can be found in what’s called the “Million-Dollar Aisle.”
• Has an outdoor riding arena filled with beach sand.
• Has, like the Western barn, a Thera Plate, a vibrating plate that the horses stand on to counter the effects of chronic inflammation conditions, speed healing, reduce pain, and aid in the prevention of injury.
• Includes The Willowick Family Arena – an additional heated area.