Arena Tracks by Penny Schlagel: SDSU Century Barn

I truly believe people were smarter 200 years ago. Nearly every man, woman and child had to be a little bit of an engineer, a smidge chemist and a whole lot of tough to get through the day without electricity, running water and Google. In an effort to share the collective knowledge gained through experience with all citizens, land grant colleges were created by Congress in 1862 and charged with three missions: research, teaching, and extension in agriculture and mechanics.  From this action grew South Dakota State College, home of the Jackrabbits and location of the iconic brick Horse Barn, now celebrating a century housing the horses of SDSU.

Passing by the western edge of campus, you can’t miss the Horse Unit barn.  Built of beautiful brick in 1925, it looks as plum and square as the day it was erected. Its large gambrel roof with 3 white cupola is a sign of the past with a firm foothold in a modern culture of tin sheds and clear span structures. While the barn originally housed draft horses used on the college’s experimental farms, mechanics and technology brought tractors to replace the horses. Yet SDSU held firm to its agricultural and equine past. Not only is the horse unit alive and functioning, it is thriving as a center for teaching and learning through the breeding and training of American Quarter Horses.  

Since 1955 SDSU has been a member and breeder in the American Quarter Horse Association. They have chosen to focus on Quarter Horses as the breed produces good using horses for the entire family.  My mind automatically goes to a recent video of Kit Fagerhaug, daughter of SDSU alums Tyler and Cam (Christensen) Fagerhaug. At all of 3 years old, Kit is riding her trusty steed LeRoy, while announcing to her brother, “Lawson! I’m riding a horse all by myself!” in the sweetest little sing-song voice.  LeRoy is the type of horse SDSU is looking to breed: steady footed with good bone and a mind that will withstand work, human error and a giggling, singing 3 year old with a beauty of a flutter kick. To that end, SDSU has assembled a stellar broodmare band that plays like an oldies radio station Top 10 list.  Daughters of Snippys Cowboy, Sir Quincy Dan and Tuf N Busy call Medary Avenue home and share pasture with other mares that go back to the greats such as King and Leo.  While the unit will cross on outside stallions when funds are available, they stand two of their own, SDSU Travlin Ryder (Dancing Continental x Miss SDSU Travlin, KSContinentaltravler) and Warrior Of Faith (Chicks Dash Easy out of a Colonel Freckles bred mare). Both of the stallions embody the type of horses the unit hopes to produce with temperaments to take the inconsistent handling common with novice horsemen.  Warrior Of Faith is especially interesting as he was bred by the Sergeant Colton Levi Derr foundation with the breeding fees going to support service men and women dealing with PTSD and TBI from combat.  His foals continue that mission as the herd at the SDSU Horse Unit is used for therapy among veterans and active service men and women as well as the American Indian Education Center and Brookings Park and Recreation Department.

As an SDSU undergrad who grew up with horses and needed an elective class, I searched the catalog for something in the old brick barn and found nothing that would fit my schedule.  The courses were limited in both availability and diversity only offering Horse Production, Riding and Driving.  These classes utilized older, well-seasoned geldings that could handle the mistakes students tended to make.  It was a good plan and the barn was used and appreciated, but it just seemed like those four brick walls had more to give.

As SDSU transitioned to the 21st Century, Jen Eide stepped into the position of Horse Unit Manager.  Growing up near Oelrichs, SD, Jen has an eye and appreciation for good, all around family horses on which to ranch and compete.  As an SDSU graduate, she also has a respect for the barn and all the history its walls contain. Jen also had a vision for growth in the unit and strategies to maximize the upswell in student interest in equine culture. Through Jen and others’ vision, the Equine Studies minor was launched in 2005.  Enrollment in the minor has grown in recent years as Equine Studies Lecturer, Carmen Paulson, DVM, and Jen have worked to provide a great combination of classroom and hands-on learning in the equine industry while Rosie Nold, Assistant Department Head of Animal Science, introduces hundreds of other students to the facilities and horses at the unit, through courses like “Introduction to Animal Science”.

With the advent of the Equine Studies Minor, the Horse Unit’s game plan had to evolve.  The staff created an 18 credit curriculum with a varied offering of required and elective courses that included Stable Management, Production Management and Equine Health and Disease. A research/internship prerequisite rounded out the requirements and brought real-world application to the coursework the graduates had completed.  In addition to the creation of a standard curriculum, the SDSU breeding program needed to expand to accommodate the increase in horses required for classes and labs, because at its core, horsemanship is a hands-on science.

The horses at the unit provide students a real-life equine lab as they foal out mares, breed them back and work with the offspring.  Once weaned in the fall, the youngsters are ready for a boot-camp of sorts during which they are worked in the round pen, halter broke and thoroughly desensitized.  By the time they are yearlings they will work a lunge line, progress through an obstacle course, and stand while tied.  They will have had their feet handled and have been bathed and clipped. The beauty of the college experience is these horses have felt many, many hands and developed a confidence in their handlers such that they can remain calm when transitioning between places, over obstacles and when experiencing new things. Many will have also been exposed to the crowds and pressure that come with showing at SDSU’s Little International, the largest student-run collegiate agricultural exposition in the United States.

The SDSU Horse Unit discontinued their Horse Sale in 2009 as they needed to help maintain adequate numbers and types of horses to fulfill the many functions of the unit.  However, through thoughtful planning and breeding, they are now in a position to offer to the public the fruits of their labor.  On Saturday, May 3rd, the SDSU Horse Unit will offer 11 horses (seven yearlings, three 2-year-olds and one 3-year-old) to the public at auction.  These horses are available for viewing at the SDSU Horse Unit brick barn from 11 am – 12 noon CDT.  Students and staff will be available to demonstrate the skills of the horses and answer any questions. The sale will be held across the street at the Animal Science Arena at 1:30 pm CDT.  If you think that a foundation bred horse with a stellar baseline of skills is something you are interested in, please plan to attend.  Further information can be found on the SDState Equine Teaching Unit-Horse Unit Facebook page.

It does my heart good to know that those brick walls continue to house the next generation of SDSU horses whose lives serve to teach the next generation of SDSU students.  I’ve always believed that SDSU is a very special place with special people.  Jen Eide, Rosie Nold and Carmen Paulson are three of those folks.