This document discusses the experiences and perspectives of top equine professionals regarding their involvement in equine degree programs and intercollegiate riding programs. It provides background on the growing popularity of equine majors in colleges and the increasing number of programs available. It then shares the stories and insights of four professionals - Kimberly Herslow, Cody Armstrong, Greta Friesen, and Shannon Dueck - on how their experiences in these programs helped develop valuable skills and knowledge that benefited their careers in the horse industry. They emphasized skills like discipline, confidence, precision, and an in-depth understanding of equine physiology and nutrition.

1. 42 Dressage Today December 2016
SusanJStickle.com

2. December 2016 Dressage Today 43
Top industry professionals reflect on their
experiences with equine-degree programs and
intercollegiate riding.
By Kimberlyn Beaudoin
T
oday equine majors have become a popular choice for many college-level
equine enthusiasts. It is not uncommon to hear of degrees ranging from
associate to doctorate, with many focuses ranging from equine studies
to equine-business management. Collegiate riding groups and organiza-
tions are also becoming more well known and it is now entirely possible
for those wishing to continue on in the industry to further their education with
these programs. There are more than 50 colleges and universities in the United States
alone that offer many different equine-related degrees. The Intercollegiate Horse
Show Association (IHSA) has over 490 teams and a total of 9,250 members, while the
Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) has a total of 500 competing members and
more than 50 teams actively participating in collegiate dressage.
Though many equine professionals go on to learn from other top riders, train-
ers and clinicians, some have also participated in collegiate equestrian programs,
whether they be strictly aca-
demic, athletic or a combination
of the two. Advanced education
numbers are on the rise and
scholarly establishments are
seeing the numbers for these
programs increase yearly. The
question is, what gives these
programs value? What lessons do
The
of
Value
Equine
Educationthey teach their students and what tools
do those students then bring out into the
equine world?
Kimberly Herslow is a USDF bronze,
silver and gold medalist. Her most
recent accomplishments include finding
and training her horse Rosmarin, with
whom she went on to have many wins
in the Small Tour CDI in Wellington,
Florida, and the pair took the title of
National Champions at the Small Tour
in the United States Dressage Finals in
Kentucky in 2013. Herslow and Ros-
marin were also on the 2013 and 2015
Nations Cup gold-medal-winning team
in Wellington, were undefeated on the
European tour for the PanAmerican
Games qualifiers in Munich, Germany,
and Achleiten, Austria. They were also
the top PanAmerican horse-and-rider
combination for the team days in To-
ronto, Canada, clinching the gold medal
for the U.S. team and the 2016 Olympic
berth for the country. Currently based
in Stockton, New Jersey, from April
through November and in Wellington
through the winter, Herslow continues
to train with Debbie McDonald and is
aiming to participate in the 2018 World
FACING PAGE: Kimberly Herslow
attended Delaware Valley College
and has competed extensively at the
international level and is aiming to
compete in the 2018 World Equestrian
Games with her horse, Rosmarin.

3. 44 Dressage Today December 2016
Equestrian Games with Rosmarin.
When Herslow was 18, she entered
the equine science program at Delaware
Valley University (formerly Dela-
ware Valley College), in Doylestown,
Pennsylvania. Commuting 30 minutes
to and from campus, building a farm
and taking care of four horses at the
same time, Herslow says the program
helped her with self-discipline and
credits part of the success in creating
her business to her hands-on experi-
ences at the college. Herslow entered
the program as the equestrian center
was being built. “We were the freshmen
grunge workers doing a lot of glossing
of the wood and stall preparation with
stone dust. Needless to say, many of
the other students weren’t very happy
to be doing this as part of their learn-
ing experience.” Herslow, however, was
grateful for these tasks as they gave her
the hands-on experience she needed to
improve her learning. “As a whole, col-
lege was a great experience in teaching
me responsibilities pertaining to my
own farm and being accountable for
everything getting done in a consistent
time frame.” Herslow remembers some
of her favorite courses, such as equine
anatomy and physiology and breeding,
as being very informative, highlighting
the fact that the information has stuck
with her throughout her career.
“I did it all myself when I opened
my barn and continued on during the
first five years of boarding and train-
ing after I graduated. It was tough but
somehow I made it through. Now I look
back and think about how grateful and
humbled I am to have really done it
from the ground up.” Herslow believes
that the benefits of going into a equine-
education program had a lot to do with
learning so many different aspects of the
equine-business industry and how to
apply that knowledge to what she was
developing within her own business.
Virginia Tech intercollegiate dressage
coach Cody Armstrong didn’t graduate
with an equine degree, but she did par-
ticipate in IDA throughout her time in
college. As a graduate of Virginia Tech,
Armstrong was a First Level rider as well
as team captain. In 2011 she qualified
for IDA Nationals and placed eighth in
her division at the National Champion-
ships that year. Before attending Virginia
Tech, Armstrong was an eventer and at
one point was ranked 10th overall in the
Young Rider National Standings at the
Preliminary Level. Currently, Armstrong
is campaigning her Hanoverian, Lhin-
coln, at Prix St. Georges and Intermedi-
aire I. She is also a USDF bronze, silver
and gold medalist and has her USDF
bronze, silver and gold freestyle bars.
Under the instruction of Armstrong,
Courtesy,GretaFriesen
Cody Armstrong attended Virginia Tech and
competed on the school’s Intercollegiate
Dressage Association Team. She is now
the coach of that same team and cam-
paigns her Hanoverian, Lhincoln, at Prix St.
Georges and Intermediaire I.
Courtesy,CodyArmstrong
Greta Friesen competed on the Inter-
collegiate Dressage Association team
while attending St. Andrews Presbyte-
rian College. She now works as a dres-
sage trainer and rider in Kona, Hawaii.

4. December 2016 Dressage Today 45
the Virginia Tech team qualified for Na-
tionals in 2015 and 2016. She says that
she is lucky to have been able to ride for
the IDA as well as coach for it. “Going
back and teaching the very team I rode
with was an amazing accomplishment
for me. Being a coach has taught me so
much about myself as well as given me
the opportunity to work with an amaz-
ing group of individuals.” When asked
about what skills she took from IDA
with her into the real world, she elabo-
rated on leadership, team cohesiveness,
organization and most importantly, con-
fidence. “The ability to sit on a horse for
10 minutes and be able to ride through
the dressage test has given me the confi-
dence to think on my feet and alter my
plan while riding each individual horse.
IDA is also a wonderful way to gain ex-
perience with many different horses.”
Dressage professional Greta Friesen
also took some valuable tools with her
after participating in intercollegiate
dressage. Graduating in 2010 from St.
Andrews Presbyterian College (now
St. Andrews University) in Laurinburg,
North Carolina, Friesen was a First Level
IDA rider throughout her time on the
college team. During her junior year she
was Regional Champion and took 12th
at the IDA National Championships. Her
senior year, she was Regional Reserve
Champion and fifth at IDA Nationals.
“Catch-riding and precision at the lower
levels were some of the most helpful
tools I was able to work on during my
time in IDA. I gained a true appreciation
of just how many points are lost in a
dressage test by simply riding inaccurate
lines. Focusing on this at lower levels
created the habits that translated to
the precision needed in upper-level test
work,” says Friesen.
After graduating, Friesen spent several
years in Wellington working and riding
for international dressage rider Arlene
“Tuny” Page at Still Point Farm. Friesen
believes that the skills she learned from
IDA were all incredibly helpful to her as
she transitioned into jobs in the horse
world. “I spent a fair amount of time
riding sales horses, which depended on
my ability to get on a horse, analyze him
or her quickly and then show the horse
to the greatest advantage.” Today Friesen
is working as a freelance dressage trainer
and resides in Kona, Hawaii.
Shannon Dueck is an international
rider, trainer and clinician as well as a
1999 Pan Am Games individual silver
medalist. Along with winning the Cana-
dian League World Cup Final in 2002,
Dueck represented Canada at the World
Cup Final in Sweden in 2003. In 2003
she was also a member of the Canadian
Team at the Open European Champion-
ships in England, whose performance
secured an Olympic berth for the
Canadians at the 2004 Olympic Games.
Throughout the course of her adult life
she has had help from Bert Rutten of the
Netherlands, Lars Peterson of Denmark,
America’s Kathy Connelly, Robert Dover
and Steffen Peters, Hubertus Schmidt
and Wolfram Wittig of Germany and
Carl Hester of Great Britain.
Dueck completed a bachelors degree
in animal science at the University of
British Columbia and a masters de-
gree in equine nutrition and exercise
physiology at Texas A&M University.
She then went on to become a faculty
member at Lakeland College and Olds
College in Alberta, Canada. Later she
moved to Massachusetts to work at
“I think my in-depth knowledge of equine physiology and nutrition has helped
me manage my horses so much better over the years,” dressage professional
Shannon Dueck says of her equine education.
BobLangrish

5. 46 Dressage Today December 2016
Johnson and Wales University. When she became estab-
lished in her riding career, she stopped teaching to pursue
her dressage business.
“No matter what happens in my life, I will always
have my education to rely on if I do ever need to change
careers,” says Dueck, “While my education was fairly
thorough before going to university, I think my in-depth
knowledge of equine physiology and nutrition has helped
me manage my horses so much better over the years.”
Dueck is currently based out of Loxahatchee, Florida, and
spends the majority of her time training horses and riders.
Heidi Degele also took the equine education route
when she attended Michigan State University and studied
animal science with a focus in equine and preveterinarian.
There, she was the vice president of the Michigan State
Equestrian Team.
Degele is a USDF bronze, silver and gold medalist who
Heidi Degele attended Michigan State University and
studied animal science with a focus in equine and
preveterinarian. She now runs her own sales business
out of Wellington, Florida.
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6. December 2016 Dressage Today 47
started her career by training a 3-year-
old stallion, Ramiros, eventually to the
FEI level and taking him to Europe to
train and compete. Since Ramiros, she
has trained several horses to the FEI
level. Degele competed with Don Fredo
HD in the Young Horse 6-year-old divi-
sion, placing 10th in the nation in 2013
at the Markel/USEF Young Horse Devel-
oping Horse National Championships.
She received the USDF Rider Achieve-
ment award with Benson HD in Open
Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I
and the USDF Rider Achievement award
with Lakota HD in Open Intermediaire
II as well as ranking fourth in the U.S.
in 2015. Degele also lived in Germany
for three years, working and training
with Olympic gold medalist Schmidt.
Currently, Degele runs a sales busi-
ness, Heidi Dressage, out of Wellington
with top FEI dressage imports. She con-
tinues to train with Danish Olympians
Bent Jenson and Petersen on a regular
basis. When asked how the Michigan
State program contributed to her career,
Degele highlighted the importance of
understanding the anatomy and physi-
ology of the horse along with learning
how to maneuver within the business
side of the industry. One of her favorite
courses was equine nutrition and she
enjoyed it so much that she even spent
time the following year as a teacher’s
assistant for the class. “It really helps
as a farm owner to truly understand
the digestive system of horses and
what they really need and what they
do not need so much of. I can attribute
the care and the understanding of my
horses feed and management here at
my farm to the classes I took in col-
lege.” Degele also attributes many of
her organizational and leaderships skills
to the Michigan State Equestrian Team.
Highlighting the importance of being a
good leader, she states that the success
of her clients begins first and foremost
with her motivation, care and support.
“I have top horses stabled at my farm
that I am solely responsible for. They
get optimum care, my riders get sup-
portive coaching and I attribute those
elements of my success to the skills I
learned in college.”
As equestrians, we know that we
are never done learning. Regardless of
location or background, all five of these
dressage professionals took the lessons
that they learned from higher education
and used them successfully in the equine
world. As equine-related education
becomes more prominent all over the
country and the world, we must remind
ourselves that there is value in each of
the learning paths that we choose.