Written by Katie Caren, ANS Animal Biology Senior
The UF Animal Sciences Department offers a wide variety of elective courses for students to take, with many offering hands-on experiences with livestock at the teaching units. This fall semester, I decided to register for the ANS 3943C Practicum: Weanling Behavior Modification, and it has been the most rewarding class of my time here at UF.
The UF Equine Science Program is unique because students participate in every stage of producing 2-year-old performance horses that are then sold at the annual Sale in the Swamp. Through different courses, students actively participate in the breeding, foaling, weanling handling, and training the 1 to 2-year-olds.
At the beginning of the class, the instructors paired us with a weanling to work with throughout the semester. I was shocked how each weanling had their own distinct personality at such a young age. It is important to select a horse with a personality that is compatible with your own, as it makes forming a bond with them much easier. I chose a weanling named Orion, UF Dirty Harry. When I first met him, he was pretty quiet and a little timid. As an introvert myself, I felt that we would make a great fit.
As we began training, we first worked on the basics, such as haltering and leading in order to build a strong foundation. We taught them to respect personal space and discouraged bad habits, while rewarding them with positive reinforcement, such as scratches and treats. As we progressed to more advanced training, I had to be patient with Orion. Sometimes it felt like he was learning in slow motion, especially when compared to the other weanlings. It was a bit disheartening, but I reminded myself that every horse learns at their own pace. Furthermore, once Orion finally learned a skill, he readily performed it when I asked. As we both learned together, we developed a closer bond. It was a truly rewarding experience.
At the end of the semester, all of the students and foals competed in the Weanling Extravaganza horse show. For the show, we had a course with numerous obstacles that we trained the weanlings to complete. I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nerves on the day of the show. Orion and the rest of the weanlings had never been around so many people before. However, Orion kept calm and navigated the course with ease, proving that all the hard work during the semester had paid off. To add on, Orion and I earned first place in the show!
Find more information about the UF/IFAS Department of Animal Sciences on our website. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Read more on UF/IFAS ANS here: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/animalsciencesdept/.
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