Oklahoma Wesleyan is proud to announce the launch of an Equine Management Program officially beginning in the fall of 2016. Coach Stacey Bailey will lead the program.
Along with the academic program, OKWU is starting an Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) team. The club-structured IHSA team will be open to full-time, undergraduate students at all experience levels and students are not required to own their own horses.
The new program will partner with Stormwalker Ranch’s SWR Riding Center, a premier facility offering riding lessons, horsemanship coaching, and horse training and located just a few miles from the OKWU Bartlesville campus.
There are more than 150 equine-related careers and the Equine Management Program lays the foundation for students to be successful in their chosen field. The program combines equine classes and traditional business classes in order to give students the necessary combination of knowledge and skills to excel in today’s horse industry. The equine classes utilize theoretical knowledge and applicable skills to allow for a well-rounded education. This program is a balance of equine science, management, and horsemanship designed to give graduates an edge.
Coach Bailey has a strong educational background in Horse Science, earning graduate and undergraduate degrees from Middle Tennessee State University. She is also certified in both western and English disciplines by the Certified Horsemanship Association.
Throughout her career, Bailey has exhibited in numerous events including working cow horse, reining, ranch cutting, western horsemanship, hunt seat, and more. In addition, she has participated in competitions of six different horse and horse show associations. She holds the 2011 IHSA National Championship title in Alumni Reining and 2012 ASHA Region 3 Open Championship in Reining, Trail and Pleasure. Bailey also coached a 2015 IHSA National qualifier in Open Reining.
Coach Bailey loves using horses as a teaching tool, noting, “Students can use [this program] to learn technical skills, as well as life lessons and skills they can carry for the rest of their lives.”
Keep up with the latest information at okwu.edu/academics/equine.
