CHAMPAIGN — Not all students working at the University of Illinois horse farms are studying animal sciences or even agriculture. Some, including Zoie Jarrett, a U of I senior studying psychology, have other dreams.
She hopes to combine her psychology degree and experience working with horses at school and on her best friend’s family’s farm in Grundy County to help people recovering from addictions.
“I didn’t even know you could work here if you weren’t in the animal science program,” Jarrett said.
Her previous experience on her best friend’s family’s horse farm in Minooka piqued her interest in the college job. Soon the “baby horses” won her heart, and she started picturing how she could blend animal therapy into her psychology-based career.
Meanwhile, Avery Knieriemen, an animal sciences senior with a pre-veterinarian and medical concentration, considered being a small animal vet. However, working with horses and other animals at the university farms and in an equine internship opened her mind to a mixed animal practice with large animals as career.
“I’m applying to vet schools now,” said Knieriemen, of Gilberts in Kane County. The experience she gained working at the university horse farm, participating in ultrasounds of pregnant mares, seeing foals born and being coached by university veterinarian Giorgia Podico, will prepare her for what’s next.
CHANGING STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
“About 70% of the students in the animal sciences major are in the science, pre-veterinary and medical concentration,” said Caitlin Morris, department of animal sciences academic adviser and undergrad recruitment coordinator.
The remaining students are either in the food animal production and management or companion animal and equine sciences concentration, she said.
Today, about 80% of the students in these programs are female. “Over time, there has been a shift in demographics,” Morris said.
Jarrett’s choice to work in addiction recovery is personal. Her biological family had addiction problems. Her biological father died when she was 14, and she hasn’t seen her mother in years. She has been living with her best friend’s family, now her family, since she was 7 years old.
“Addiction strikes home,” she said of how her psychology training will help others.
Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to care for horses at home had lost some appeal, but once she started working with the baby horses here, things changed and she knew she wanted horses in her career.
One of Jarrett’s favorite parts working at the U of I horse farm is the end-of-the-year sale. It is a sort of graduation for the young horses. Getting the horses ready for the sale is like preparing for a horse show, complete with gelling their hair. “They are getting ready for their big kid job,” she said.
“It’s bittersweet,” Jarrett said of seeing the horses, some whose birth she witnessed, move into their careers.
As a bonus, students are sometimes invited to see the horses again, at harness races at the state fairgrounds or on other tracks.
In her role as academic adviser, Morris helps students find the right track. The animal science department has over 600 undergraduate students.
Contrary to popular belief, not all vet students aim to work with small animals, Morris told FarmWeek. Some, like Knieriemen, become interested in other animals once they work with them in the animal sciences course, “Working with Farm Animals.”
Some animal sciences students in the pre-vet concentration are also interested in advanced degrees in animal science, human medicine, physical therapy and even dentistry. “Graduates from our program pursue careers in a variety of disciplines including animal nutrition, animal welfare and care, meat science, research assistance and beyond,” Morris said.
ADJUSTING TO STUDENT NEEDS
To better serve students’ needs, the U of I colleges of agricultural, consumer and environmental sciences and of veterinary medicine are consolidating their two separate horse herds into one at the St. Mary’s Road horse farm. Faculty and students from both colleges will use the combined herd for teaching, research and experiential learning.
“This agreement allows us to bring the university’s horses together in a way that makes the best use of the horse farm and the resources we share across colleges,” said Dan Shike, U of I department head of animal sciences.
“Together, our colleges envision the horse farm serving as a shared campus resource that supports veterinary training, undergraduate instruction, and experiential learning opportunities for years to come,” said Jim Lowe, college of veterinary medicine executive associate dean.