Department of Animal Sciences, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, and Equine Science Center, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick 08901, USA.
J Anim Sci. 2012 Dec;90(12):4671-6. doi: 10.2527/jas.2012-5460. Epub 2012 Jul 5.
Equine teaching and research programs are popular but expensive components of most land grant universities. External funding for equine research, however, is limited and restricts undergraduate research opportunities that enhance student learning. In 1999, a novel undergraduate teaching and research program was initiated at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. A unique aspect of this program was the use of young horses generally considered "at risk" and in need of rescue but of relatively low value. The media interest in such horses was utilized to advantage to obtain funding for the program. The use of horses from pregnant mare urine (PMU) ranches and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustangs held the risks of attracting negative publicity, potential of injury while training previously unhandled young horses, and uncertainty regarding re-sale value; however, none of these concerns were realized. For 12 years the Young Horse Teaching and Research Program received extensive positive press and provided invaluable learning opportunities for students. Over 500 students, at least 80 of which were minorities, participated in not only horse management and training but also research, event planning, public outreach, fund-raising, and website development. Public and industry support provided program sustainability with only basic University infrastructural support despite severe economic downturns. Student research projects generated 25 research abstracts presented at national and international meetings and 14 honors theses. Over 100 students went on to veterinary school or other higher education programs, and more than 100 others pursued equine- or science-related careers. Laudatory popular press articles were published in a wide variety of breed/discipline journals and in local and regional newspapers each year. Taking the risk of using "at risk" horses yielded positive outcomes for all, especially the undergraduate students.
马科教学和研究项目是大多数赠地大学的热门但昂贵的组成部分。然而，马科研究的外部资金有限，限制了增强学生学习的本科生研究机会。1999 年，新泽西州新不伦瑞克的罗格斯大学启动了一项新颖的本科生教学和研究计划。该计划的一个独特方面是使用通常被认为“处于危险之中”和需要救援但价值相对较低的年轻马匹。媒体对这些马匹的兴趣被充分利用，为该计划获得资金。使用来自妊娠母马尿液（PMU）牧场和土地管理局（BLM）野马的马匹存在吸引负面宣传、在训练以前未经处理的年轻马匹时受伤的风险，以及对转售价值的不确定性；然而，这些问题都没有出现。12 年来，青年马教学和研究计划受到了广泛的积极报道，并为学生提供了宝贵的学习机会。超过 500 名学生，其中至少有 80 名是少数民族，不仅参与了马匹管理和训练，还参与了研究、活动策划、公众宣传、筹款和网站开发。尽管经济严重下滑，但公众和行业的支持为该计划提供了可持续性，仅得到了大学基础设施的基本支持。学生的研究项目产生了 25 份研究摘要，在国内外会议上发表，并完成了 14 篇荣誉论文。超过 100 名学生进入兽医学校或其他高等教育项目，超过 100 名学生从事与马科或科学相关的职业。褒奖性的流行媒体文章每年都在各种品种/学科期刊和当地及地区报纸上发表。冒险使用“处于危险之中”的马匹为所有人，尤其是本科生带来了积极的结果。
