ANZ 233 Connecting With Horses

This class will provide hands-on experiences with horses. The two main goals of this course are connection and safety. Horses are large sentient beings with minds and independent wills. Relationships with horses can lead to very powerful, exciting and rewarding experiences. Establishing this type of relationship is critical for therapeutic interventions through Equine Assisted Services, and working with horses as a veterinarian, equine facilities manager or owner. Horses crave safety, a primary goal of this course is to learn how to keep you, other people and horses safe both physically and psychologically during interactions with each other. There is no "right" way to build meaningful relationships with horses. However, there are procedures and practices for communicating with horses that are likely to produce positive outcomes and that are based in Learning Theory. The most important being: 1) observational skills, 2) knowledge of horse behavior, 3) positive and negative reinforcement, and 4) interpretations of intention and emotions; both your own and that of the horse. The lab will provide guidance and opportunities to learn these important equestrian skills. You will be observing and interacting with horses through guided exercises to promote the development of the above skills. This will include herd observations, working with individually assigned horses, observing and working with your classmates who are engaging with horses.

Credits

2

Prerequisite

Take ANZ 108 with a minimum grade of C-.

Corequisite

Take ANZ 233L concurrently.

Offered

Annual Fall Semester