In your comments this week, I would like each of you to briefly:
- Introduce yourself (what name do you go by?).
- Describe your background working with or around horses (Don’t worry if you have no background. Students that bring different perspectives make this class interesting!).
- Describe why you are taking this class and what you hope to take away from the class.
My name is Burt Staniar, and most students just call me Dr. Staniar. I grew up on a small farm in Connecticut. I have been riding since I was about 4-5 years old. My favorite equine sport is polo, although I rarely get to play. It reminds me of soccer on horseback and is a sport that I really enjoy! Most of the time I just ride the trails around the farm where I board my Quarter Horse, Guinness (Pictured below).
I am teaching this class because I think it is important to provide students different opportunities to learn about horses. It is interesting exploring how they affect our lives and how we affect theirs. The interaction with others interested in the horse is both a reason for teaching the course and an expected outcome for me. I look forward to getting to know a bit about each of you over the coming semester.
My name is Andrea Kocher. I grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania (Berks County) on a small hobby farm. I started riding in elementary school and this fueled my interest in animals and led me to an Animal Science degree at Penn State in 2004. After graduating I took a job as a barn manager/assistant trainer at a Morgan horse training facility. This is where I gained most of my horse showing experience(see picture below). In 2007 I started my career as an equine extension associate here at Penn State. I am lucky to have a job that allows me to do many different things and interact with academia and industry. I look forward to getting to know everyone in this class and to help you explore equine science and the horse industry!