Campus Life

Ag Progress Days Equine Experience offers something for every horse lover

From miniature horses to magnificent draft horses, the Ag Progress Days Equine Experience is aimed at horse lovers of all ages. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Three days of educational yet entertaining activities await horse enthusiasts who visit the Equine Experience at Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 16-18.

The event is designed to appeal to horse lovers of all ages and experience levels, according to Ann Macrina, Equine Experience coordinator and senior instructor in animal science in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

"Dave Rohrbach of Bee Tree Trail is returning this year to drive his hitch of Percheron draft horses," Macrina said. "Dave, no doubt, will have exciting new hitches to delight the crowd."

Rohrbach will perform once each day in addition to a special performance during the event's Wednesday Evening Extravaganza.

New events in the horse arena, located at the top of Main Street at the Ag Progress Days site, will include heavy armor jousting by Knights of the Rose Jousting Troupe and arena carriage racing by Grey Horse Stable.

Miniature horses will return with an all-new presentation by the Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Association Youth Ambassadors, who will show how they train their petite-sized partners to perform. Also back for 2016 will be the Pennsylvania State Police Mounted Patrol, who will demonstrate effective crowd control with their horses.

The Wednesday evening program will open with a Salute to America by the Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Association, followed by heavy armor jousting by Knights of the Rose. The evening will close with the Bee Tree Trail hitch.

On Tuesday, Jake Werner, Penn State attending veterinarian, will discuss new and re-emerging threats to horse health — equine infectious anemia and equine herpes virus. Ann Swinker, equine extension specialist and associate professor of equine science, will show how a horse's conformation affects its function. Visitors also can attend a presentation to learn how animals help humans heal.

Farrier Scott Sims, who specializes in shoeing performance horses and lame horses, will be on hand Tuesday and Wednesday to answer hoof-care questions.

The Penn State Equine Science Horse Quiz Bowl competition returns on Thursday, Aug. 18. In addition, 4-H members will participate in a clinic to get hands-on experience in training their miniature horses.

Penn State Equine Science faculty and staff also will be available all three days at the Equine Arena and Equine Exhibits Building to answer questions and provide information. More information about the Equine Experience is available online.

Sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, 9 miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 16; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 17; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 18. Admission and parking are free.

For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website. Twitter users can share information about the event using the hashtag #agprogressdays, and Facebook users can find the event at http://www.facebook.com/AgProgressDays. 

Last Updated July 14, 2016

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