Truman State University Equine Science

02/28/2024

We will offer two 2023 Quarter horse yearling geldings (the results of the maternity shoot), TSU PedaltotheMetal (“Curly”) and TSU Moving Metallic (“Moe”) at the Friday, March 1 sale at Lolli Bros Livestock Mkt Inc in Macon, MO. The sale begins at 9am, with “Curly” selling as lot #21 and “Moe” as lot #191. Online bidding and absentee bidding are possible. (Posters created by Olivia Noack as part of her Special Topics class)

Full catalog (lot #21 and #191) available here: http://www.lollibros.com/images/Cindy/cindy-March-2024-Horse-Catalog-take-2_converted.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1-GCXsfmUFJ6I73hgI6yUgK6Yd6dy-vPM9BRNwMPDyc1m3-dPKPyzM1vc

01/31/2023

We are excited to have two mares due to foal this spring. The first up will be Movin Miss Roxy, who is due to foal around 2/28/23, and then it will be Gay Bars Rosa due around 4/10/23.
Both of these mares are in foal to the stallion we stand for Luke Jones Performance Horses, Bowmans Metallic Cat
Our talented students did a "maternity photo shoot" the other day for fun, so I thought I would share a few pictures. Thank you Olivia for sharing your photography skills with us!

The photo of Slinky is from last year, and was also taken by our student, Olivia. He will arrive at the Truman farm this week to start getting ready for breeding season.
I really enjoy bringing the hands on experiences to the students as a part of the AGSC 353 Equine Reproduction Practicum course.

Unfortunately last year Roxy lost her pregnancy, so we did not have a foal born at the Truman farm last year. I think that is making us all even more excited to have foals around again soon!

Slinky (Bowmans Metallic Cat) is a Riata Buckle stallion, and is also enrolled in the IQHA Ranch Horse Stallion Breeders Program and Futurity as well as the SDRCHA Stallion Stakes.

We are so thankful to have such a high quality stallion to work with here as part of our equine science program!

12/21/2022

I'm seeing lots of questions in horse Facebook groups about how to help your horse through this really cold snap, and thought I'd share this excellent resource from the folks at University of Minnesota Equine Extension.

The most important things to remember are to stick with your normal routine as much as possible, and provide warm drinking water if you can or at least regular access to water by breaking ice. If you're worried about if a horse is drinking enough, the best thing you can do is give them a heated bucket! Horses drink much more when water is kept at 40 degrees, so safe water heaters/ heated buckets are worth the investment!

Increase hay offered to help horses create their own heat as a byproduct of fermentation in their hind gut. (But remember how dry hay is, so again, be sure they're keeping water intake up!)

If you're like me and usually keep your hay in slow feed nets, it is helpful to offer some loose hay that they can consume easier than the nets allow. It's also important to check the nets in snowy weather to be sure the horses can still get to the hay!

Horses do better than we think they will in the cold if they have plenty of water and hay. Don't worry so much about adding any new mashes or concocting anything too crazy!

And take care of yourself and layer up before heading out to check in your horse, so you're able to continue to provide them with care.

Good luck, stay safe!

Horses acclimated to cold temperatures often prefer and are better off outdoors.

12/07/2022

Job posting at Virgina Tech for assistant equitation coach:

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3388019025

12/07/2022

Job posting at Virgina Tech for assistant equitation coach:

Posted 2:47:57 AM. Job DescriptionAbout Virginia Tech Equestrian Program:The Virginia Tech Equestrian Program houses…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

12/02/2022

This afternoon will be a sad one around the farm. It's time to say our goodbyes to two of our broodmares, Etta and Bacardi. They have both had soundness issues that have progressed over the past couple years, and shoeing is no longer providing enough relief. Bacardi also seemed to have slipped in the pasture towards the end of the summer and having reoccurring pain on and off in a back leg as well. Etta is having difficulty maintaining her body condition, and is thinner than we would like to see along with her progressing lameness.

It will be kinder to them both to let them go on this relatively warm December day before the winter gets harsh. While it is the worst part of horse management, it could arguably be the most important decision you can make for your horse.

I was able to notify their previous owners earlier this week. I want to thank Peggy Rogers and Shelley Bradford for allowing these mares to be a part of the Truman herd for the last several years. Etta arrived in 2013 and Bacardi soon after. They have taught so many students in that time, and have always been so patient with students.

If you have any favorite memories of these two, we'd love to hear them. I will share a few of my favorite pictures of them.

I don't know the full name of the author of this poem, but I've always liked it. I'm very grateful for these two sweet broodmares and will always remember them fondly. Bacardi was not bred after foaling in 2020, and Etta was not bred since 2015, but they were able to teach students in a variety of other ways.

BLESSED ARE THE BROODMARES

Blessed are the broodmares in the field,
Patiently carrying their heavy load
Without complaint waiting for the big day,
When they, without a sound, lay down in the straw

And then the most amazing thing happens,
The miracle of a brand new life.
Now the everlasting circle is complete,
The amazing wonder of a living thing.

The foundation stock of every breed,
How fast we all happen to forget,
Where all our champions came from.
How fast we are to discard the blessed ones.

When they get too old or unproductive,
The most tolerant members of every breed,
Raising their young without ever a mumble,
Loyal beyond everyone’s compare.

Till they go on to raise the next one,
When will we finally wake up and see
How enormously grateful we should be
For the blessed ones we so easily forget?

E.M.S

08/27/2022

Olivia presented her summer research work at this morning's Truscholar Research Symposium.

We still need to complete the analysis phase of this trial before we can share any results or conclusions. There's a lot of trouble shooting left to do with the pressure sensing pad used in the study.

For now, I want to congratulate Olivia on organizing and completing the horse work/ data collection phase of the research. Nice job! Coordinating horses, riders, and efficiently collecting data is no small feat.

Through this summer project, we both realized how complex the issue of saddle fit really is, and the advantages and limitations of utilizing technology to more objectively assess how well a saddle fits a horse.

03/15/2022

Does anyone remember when Mae, our Truman mare, foaled back in 2015? We called the filly "April." Well here she is in her new home with Taylor Gundy! Taylor now calls her Fifi, runs barrels on her, and absolutely loves her!
Her registered name is TSU Pretty Pepto. She is out of our mare Pretty Little Buff (Mae) and by the stallion Pepto Madera.
Love to see where the Truman bred foals end up!

03/11/2022

🚨Intern Wanted🚨

Join the Arabian Horse Association as our Marketing and Events Intern for our 2022 show season! As a Marketing and Events Intern, you will collaborate with our National Events team to help develop, expand, and maintain our marketing channels while assisting with event management and operations during AHA’s National Show Season.

This is a paid internship with remote work flexibility. Apply here⬇
https://www.arabianhorses.org/additional/careers

03/09/2022

Nathan Piper Reining Horses is looking for a barn manager for our new facility.

Job will include taking care of horses in training (feeding, grooming, saddling, turning out etc.) as well as pasture boarded horses and managing the facility. This is not a riding position.

Housing included. Pay based on experience. Located in Whitesboro, TX. If you're interested, call Nathan at 936-718-7314.

03/04/2022

Next week is spring break! Slinky is already trying to lay on some sand and soak up a little sunshine! I hope that you all have some sunny and sandy days over break that either include horses or maybe a beach to go along with it! 🌞🏖🐎

Photo credit: Molly Menne

02/22/2022

Summer and fall internship ("star") opportunities with APHA.

Ordinary places call you interns. We call you Stars. That’s because we don’t just let anyone become a Star. We look for the best and the brightest to join APHA as part of our Star program. Are you interested in learning more about the Paint Horse breed and making a difference in APHA? Join us in...