98 SIDELINES JUNE 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Lindsay Zeltzer stands in front of the Savannah College of Art
and Design Admissions building.
Photos courtesy of SCAD
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Education - Savannah College of Art and Design
By Lindsay Zeltzer
I remember being incredibly nervous for my very frst design
class at the Savannah College of Art and Design, but when my
boots touched ground at the university’s breathtaking Ronald C.
Waranch Equestrian Center, my horse sense came rushing back
to me as if I had never left home.
SCAD offers degrees in more than 40 areas of study in nearly
60 disciplines at campuses in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia;
Lacoste, France and Hong Kong; as well as online through SCAD
eLearning. The state-of-the-art, 100-acre equine facility is located
a quick hop over the Talmadge Bridge in Hardeeville, South
Carolina.
SCAD’s Bachelor of Arts degree in equestrian studies debuted
in the 2009-2010 academic year, guided by a mission to provide
a hands-on environment where talented students could prepare
for a profession in the equine industry. Career opportunities for
graduates include competing across equestrian disciplines, as
well as becoming a trainer, an equine artist or photographer, an
equine business and events manager, a sport horse sales broker,
a barn manager, and more.
As an art and design university, SCAD requires that students of
every major complete foundation studies in drawing and design.
According to equestrian studies Professor Sara Hufstader,
these courses are integral to understanding horsemanship as a
performance art. For further enrichment, the equestrian studies
program draws upon both classical and modern training concepts
in its academic courses.
Prospective students must submit a DVD and an equestrian
résumé. Once accepted, equestrian students are placed in riding
classes based on their level of experience. Class sizes are small,
with a maximum of six students in each riding class, 12 in horse
care and training classes and up to 25 in lecture classes. And
good news: horses are welcome to come along for the ride and
board at the university’s facilities.
The life of a SCAD equestrian major isn’t all horsing around.
As any SCAD student will tell you, we’re not strangers to hard
work, and we get plenty of it. Professor Hufstader said to expect
assignments beyond the barn, including lesson journals and
reading assignments, along with technical, theoretical and opinion
papers. In addition, each student spends approximately an extra
hour or two caring for their horse at the barn each time they ride.
SCAD is home to a superstar equestrian team comprised of
35 members enrolled in a variety of majors. The team, headed
by coach Ashley Kelly, regularly takes top honors at the ANRC
National College Championship, and places highly within
the fastest-growing region of the Intercollegiate Horse Show
Association, in addition to other national and regional tournaments.
In fact, when I visited the Waranch Center, the team was abuzz
with the news that they had, once again, advanced to the IHSA
nationals in Pennsylvania. The rigor and visibility inherent to these
competitions provide SCAD equestrian students with even greater
insight regarding event production, course design and judging.
On a fnal note, any Savannah resident or visitor will tell you
it is a privilege to experience its historic environs. The city’s
true Southern hospitality will provide constant comfort to any
equestrian who chooses SCAD to embark upon their journey to
a creative career.
About the writer: Lindsay Zeltzer is a Junior studying Illustration at the Savannah
College of Art and Design. Her equine art has been featured in Sidelines’ annual Art
Issue and she has a collection on display in the lobby of the Alan B. Miller Pavilion at
Wellington Regional Medical Center.
SCAD: Art, Design and Horses
The Ronald C. Waranch Equestrian Center at SCAD.