90 SIDELINES JUNE 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
e
Education – William Woods University
By Dani Moritz
I only applied to one university and that’s because I knewWilliam
Woods University was where I was meant to be. Not only do they
have an amazing equestrian program (and the bonus of being the
frst to offer a four-year degree), but they also have everything else
non-equine universities have, including an excellent journalism
program and opportunities for a diverse education. Not to mention
they are a small campus where everyone knows everyone’s name
and that was a major plus in my book.
As it turns out, going to WWU has been one of the best decisions
of my life and has led me to some amazing opportunities. I feel
extremely fortunate to have been a part of a program that comes
with not only immense support from within the department, but
also from the university as a whole.
“Although William Woods offers many unique and diverse
academic programs, our equestrian studies program is the most
popular feld of study on campus, with more than 200 students
pursuing one of our three degrees,” said Dr. Jahnae Barnett,
President of WWU.
With that support has come the ability to teach four disciplines
on campus, dressage, hunter/jumper, western and saddle
seat, as well as offer three majors - equestrian studies, equine
administration and equine general studies.
Equine general studies is our newest major, and is one of the
degrees I pursued. It has given students like me an opportunity to
explore career felds that don’t necessarily mean riding, training or
operating a show facility.
But if behind the scenes work isn’t for you, WWU defnitely has
a lot of training and showing opportunities and we sure do have
great teachers (human and horse). “We have an incredible string
of [more than 150] horses here at William Woods,” said Karen
Pautz, dressage instructor. “We have horses in each discipline
who are able to compete in open competition against the top
professionals. And of course, we have those perfect, highly-
trained-but-forgiving schoolmasters who we have to admit are the
most important professors on campus.”
It’s also important to note that we do not compete on the
collegiate level. Instead, we compete at traditional shows at the
local, regional and national level. This gives us an opportunity to
jump straight into the real world and network with the professionals
many WWU graduates end up working for straight out of college.
“We have university-owned horses that students have the
opportunity to ride and show at local, regional and national
level horse shows and they do so successfully every year,” said
Jennie Petterson, equestrian studies division chair and Western
instructor. “Students are actively involved in the conditioning,
training and presentation of school-owned horses in competition,
and this is the real world experience that we feel gives our students
the competitive edge.”
So whether you want to pursue a career that involves horses
directly or something a littlemore behind the scenes, WWU has you
covered. This university has provided me the skills, connections
and confdence to be successful in the equine industry - and that
is worth every penny.
About the writer: Dani Moritz is a graduate of William Woods University with
degrees in Equine General Studies and Communications. She is a staff writer
for Sidelines Magazine, freelance journalist and proud owner of a beautiful Paint/
Arabian mare named September. She is also the 2012 American Horse Publications
Student Award Winner.
William Woods University:
Where Everyone Knows Your Name
Dani competing in
the WWU derby
with her personal
horse, September.
Photo by Kayla Cardinal
Riders from all four seats show off their style at William Woods University.
Photo by Avis