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Animal Sciences Department

Animal Sciences Department

Horses 101 - Agent In-Service Training

January 21-23, 2020
Weleka State Forest

Registrer through the PDEC IST page
**Please note that the FL Equine Extension Forum in February is a different program. Be sure you are registering for "Horses 101".

Purpose & Description

This IST will provide Agents a basic familiarity with horses and the 4-H Horse Program so they may feel confident administering a 4-H Horse program in their county. Because very few 4-H agents in the State of Florida have prior horse experience, they often feel ill-equipped to administer the 4-H horse program within their county. They may feel they lack the technical knowledge needed to effectively communicate with volunteers and participants.

Participants in this IST will learn the basics of equine science in a hands-on setting and leave with ideas that they can implement in their own county. Topics to be covered include: safe horse handling, equine terms and jargon, understanding the 4-H Horse Program rulebook, opportunities in the 4-H Horse Program, risk management, and horse show basics. The IST will take place at Camp Welaka and allow agents the opportunity to network with others from around the state and to become better acquainted with State Specialists and others working with the 4-H Horse Program.

Target Audience

4-H agents with limited horse knowledge and/or experience. This is not a new-Agent training -- all Agents are welcome!

More Info

Refer to the tentative schedule for the list of topics to be discussed. Please know that we want to make this beneficial to you. We can modify the schedule to include topics/skills development based on your feedback. The intent is for the IST to be a no-pressure, no-judgement, need-driven week.

The Welaka State Forest is cabin-camping facility. You will need to bring your own twin bedding, towels, all toiletries, etc. Please see the "IST Details" doc for the complete prep lists.

Register through the PDEC-IST site for "Horses 101".

For questions or requests, contact Meg Mann (horsygrl@ufl.edu, 352-343-4101) or (Wendy DeVito (wtaylor@ufl.edu, 352-392-1912). We welcome questions ahead of time as they may help us develop the program around your needs.