Equestrian Blog

   With the beginning of a new school year comes the beginning of a new show season for the Judson College Equestrian Team, but before  show season can start the Equestrian Team has to be built. 

   Each year the Judson College Equestrian Team is made up of members who are riding on either the Huntseat Team, or the Western Team. The members for both teams  are selected in one of two ways. The first is for  riders who were on the team the previous year. If they finished the year in good standings they are offered a spot on the new year's team. The second is for people who were not previously on the team. They go through a tryout process and are offered a spot based on riding ability and skill. 

Hello all and welcome to my blog. 

To those of you who are returning fans, welcome back. 

Another year at Judson is getting under way and I am pleased to be continuing as the Judson College equestrian blogger. I will also be serving my second term as the Judson College blog staff Chief Blogger, thanks to the rest of the blogging staff.

To my new readers, this blog entry will give you a very brief overview of what you will find in my blog over the course of the year.   

Through out the year I hope to share with you what a great and unique opportunity the equine program here at Judson College has to offer you. Whether you are interested in majoring or minoring in Equine Studies, competing on the Equestrian Team, or just taking a few riding classes to hang out with the horses, Judson has something for you. We are the only school with a program like it in the state of Alabama. Come back soon, or go ahead and check out some of my blogs from last year, to learn more about it. 

I also hope  to show you what a special place Judson College is over all by giving you a glimpse into what it is like to be a "Judson Girl", from classes to traditions.

Now that you have a bit of an idea about what my blog will cover, I am going to warn you that if you keep following me you will eventually (or sooner)  find something in one of my posts that is not listed here. 

It is going to be a fun and exciting year full of horses, tests, papers, projects, friends,  late nights, early mornings, glitter, signs, drip bottles, and everything else that makes Judson, Judson and I hope that you will join me for the adventure.

I am so glad you took the time to stop by and learn about my blog for this year and can't wait till next time. 

If you have any questions please do no hesitate to ask. You can leave a comment on my blog, or check me out on facebook and send me a message.

Judson has recently announced that starting in the fall of 2010 they are going to be offering a new major in Equine Studies. Judson currently offers a minor in equine science and interdisciplinary majors in Equine and Business and Equine and Psychology ( equine-facilitated mental health). This new degree, though, will allow students a more in-depth education to prepare them for the equine industry. 

The Equine Studies major is design to educate students about the horse and about different careers within the equine industry. It also prepares students to go into a number of these different areas of the equine industry. These areas include, barn management, equine therapy, training, and instruction.

Along with the new major there is going to be the addition of a couple new equine classes. This will include an Intro to Equine Studies class, an Intro to equine therapy class and a couple of other science related classes.  The Intro to Equine Studies will be a required class for the major and is where you will learn the basics of equine science and about horses in general, this class will be taught by the head of the Equine Department here at Judson, Jennifer Hoggle. The Equine Therapy will not be a required class for the major, but students who are planning to or who are interested in going into the field of equine therapy should consider taking the class. It will be taught by both Mrs. Jennifer and Mrs. Janice ,who are both NARA Level One Certified.

Other classes that will be part of the major, but that have already been offered at Judson are Equine Business Management, Equine Disease, and Equine Nutrition.  Management is also taught by Mrs. Jennifer, and Disease and Nutrition are taught by Dr. Halbrooks, a veterinarian here in Marion. Riding classes and riding instructor classes as well as a number of other classes are also part of the requirements for this major.

If you are interested in this New Major, or in attending Judson for any other major please contact admissions at 1-800-447-9472 or send an email at http://www.judson.edu/contact.asp for more information.

It is hard to believe that another year at Judson is almost over. Thinking back it feels like just the other day I was arriving at school to begin my second year as a Judson Girl. But next week begins finals week and then I will be gone for the summer. It is amazing how time flies as you get older, and funny how that is when you wish it would pass slower.

I would like to take this time to thank you and everyone else who has read my blogs this year. I hope that I was able to answer some of the questions that you may have had about the equine program here at Judson College. I also hope that I was able to express what a  special place Judson College is and maybe I even interested you enough to check us out. We would love to have you come and visit and see first hand what Judson is all about.

I am sad to say that this will be my last blog for the year. I am not attending summer classes and  final projects and studying for exams is demanding my time, so I will have to say farewell for the year. I am excited to announce, though,  that I will be returning to you next year, once again, as your Judson Equestrian blogger. So please check back in with me come August for another year in the life of a Judson Equestrian.  All of my blogs from this year will remain online until at least August, also, so if you are really missing me, you can do some back reading. You can also find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/invisiblestar08 if you need me, or have any further questions.

Once again, thank you for your support this year and I can't wait to be back in the fall.

HAPPY SUMMER!!!