Equine Studies Program at Rocky Mountain College

I always knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. I knew that I could not be one of those people who gave up my horses to go to college, so I decided to look for schools with an Equine Studies major. I grew up in Colorado, and I knew that I wanted to stay within a day's drive from home. That limited my college choices to two-Colorado State University or Rocky Mountain College. While Colorado State University has an excellent program, their program is more medical based, while Rocky Mountain College's was more training based. I chose Rocky Mountain College and headed off to Billings in Fall 2002.

I had never heard of Rocky Mountain College before stumbling on it at a college fair. Rocky is a small but diverse college of only about 1,000 students located in a quiet residential part of Billings, Montana. The college offers two unique programs-Equine Studies and Aviation-as well as the usual liberal arts majors. The class sizes are small, especially the upper division courses. All classes are taught by professors-not graduate students or teaching assistants-and 80% of the faculty holds a doctorate or terminal degree in their field.

Rocky's Equine Studies program is one of the few in the nation that schools riders in both English and Western disciplines. Courses include both hands-on and classroom sessions, and students learn reading, writing and speaking skills consistent with the liberal arts theory. Within the degree, students can choose an emphasis in Equitation and Training, Equine Business, Riding Instruction, Equine Journalism and Therapeutic Riding.

The program is housed at Intermountain Equestrian Center, which is located 10 miles west of campus on Highway 3. The facility features two indoor arenas, outdoor arena, multiple barns (some heated), three wash racks, numerous round pens, pasture area, trail riding access, computer lab and heated student lounge. The facilities are kept in good repair and are updated regularly.