February 1, 2008 -- The ninth annual yearling auction, to be held at the Round House on Cook Campus, Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences in New Brunswick, N.J., will once again offer 12 well-trained yearling horses for sale as performance horse prospects. The six geldings and six fillies have spent the past eight months as part of the Young Horse Teaching & Research Program, which culminates on April 27 at 1 p.m. when they are sold at auction to raise funds for the program's following year.
This year's crop of yearlings ranges from very tall and refined to the heavier draft types. They are sired by Hanoverian, Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, or American Paint stallions out of Belgian or Percheron cross mares. The horse's colors also range across the spectrum with eye-catching bays, chestnuts, blacks a buckskin, a light red dun and even a red roan.
The yearlings come from the Hiatt Ranch in North Dakota, which has provided horses for the program since its establishment, and two North American Equine Ranching Information Council (NAERIC) Sport Horse breeders in Manitoba, Canada--Ravine Ranch and Early Dawn Sport Horses. The six Canadian yearlings are double-registered with NAERIC and the Performance Horse Registry, and the six from North Dakota will be registered with the American Warmblood Society.
More than 30 students participate in the Young Horse Teaching & Research Program each year. In addition to learning how to train and handle young horses, the students assist with nutrition research and marketing projects, gaining valuable skills and knowledge for future careers in science and/or the equine industry. Ranging from beginners to advanced horse handlers, they are responsible for the daily care and training of the horses in preparation for the excitement of Ag Field Day and the Auction.
Photographs and detailed descriptions of the yearlings can be found at the program's student-run website: web.mac.com/ru_horses. The yearlings also can be viewed by appointment by calling Dr. Sarah Ralston at 732-932-9404. The program's students will also be showing the yearlings in hand at Cook Campus's Ag Field Day Horse Show, at 10 a.m. on April 26 and at a special preview on April 12 at 5 p.m.
