CSU Equine Sciences

10/13/2026

Donate NOW to support our CSU Ranch Horse Team!

Day 12 and already at 80% to our goal!💪

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! Remember, if you want to donate to a specific athlete, you can put their name down in the comment of your donation ✍️

With 18 days remaining, the clock is counting down to our October 31st deadline. Our athletes will be in Texas at SHTX when RamFunder ends and that money goes directly to supporting our out of state shows! 💚

🔗 in bio or below:
https://give.colostate.edu/schools/ColoradoStateUniversity/2026-fall-ramfunder-cohort/pages/saddle-up-for-the-season-with-csu/?a=1

📸 Annie

10/12/2026

More exciting research coming out of CSU’s Temple Grandin Equine Center!

A new study involving 72 autistic children found that incorporating horses into occupational therapy resulted in greater reductions in cortisol, a physiological marker of stress, compared to traditional clinic-based therapy.
Research like this helps put science behind the incredible impact horses can have on human health and well-being!

Congratulations to the research team on another fantastic publication! 💚💛

A randomized controlled trial found that occupational therapy incorporating horses produced significantly greater within-session cortisol reductions in autistic children than identical clinic-based

10/10/2026

We are beyond proud to announce that students from the Colorado State University Thoroughbred Retraining Club WON the Show Jumping division at the 2026 Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) Thoroughbred Makeover.

Why is this such a BIG deal?!

The Thoroughbred Makeover is one of the most prestigious competitions in the country dedicated to showcasing the versatility and athleticism of Thoroughbred racehorses transitioning into second careers. Held annually at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, the competition brings together talented riders from across North America to demonstrate what these incredible horses can accomplish after leaving the racetrack. More than 250 horses competed at this year's Makeover, with 402 horses originally registered and $135,000 in total prize money across 10 disciplines!

Unlike traditional horse shows, the Thoroughbred Makeover celebrates the process of retraining recently retired racehorses for entirely new careers. Competitors have a limited period to develop their horses' skills in disciplines ranging from show jumping and eventing to dressage, ranch work, and more.

And unlike other equine science programs, CSU remains the only college with a dedicated Thoroughbred retraining team, providing our students with an incredible opportunity to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it directly to the horses in their care under the tutelage of Tiare Santistevan and Cayla Stone.

Through CSU's Equine Sciences program, students study everything from equine anatomy, physiology, and nutrition to disease management, exercise science, behavior, and learning theory. Through the Thoroughbred Retraining Club, they get to put that knowledge into practice!

To our students, horses, coaches, and everyone who helped make this possible: CONGRATULATIONS!

You have represented Colorado State University and the Thoroughbred breed on a national stage, and we could not be prouder!

GO RAMS! 💚💛🐏

Other notable awards:
L'il Lang: 🥈 Overall Eventing / 🥇 Team
Hanalei Bay: 9th place overall Freestyle / 🥇 Team
Shore Lodge: 🥈 Team Dressage / 🥉 Team Eventing
Gem Mint Ten: 4th place Team Eventing
Gem Mint Ten: 6th place Team Show Jumping

10/09/2026

What an amazing showing for our CSU Thoroughbred Retraining Club at the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover in Lexington, Kentucky!

Every year, we take 4-5 horses and 8-12 students and teach them how to source, produce, and campaign an off the track Thoroughbred. This all accumulates in October, when the students and their instructors travel to the Kentucky Horse Park to compete against hundreds of other Thoroughbred enthusiasts!

At the end of preliminary competition, we have:

Emmah Tait and Sophia Bloom with L'il Lang - 5th in Show Jumping
🥇 Show Jumping Team
6th place Eventing
🥇 Eventing Team

Kenley Hinman/Ava Baldridge with Gem Mint Ten
🏆 6th place Show Jumping Team

Kenley Hinman/Olivia Ulbricht with Gem Mint Ten
🏆 4th place Eventing Team

Kenley Hinman and Sydney Draybek with Shore Lodge
🥉place Eventing Team

Sydney Draybek/Ava Baldridge with Shore Lodge
🥈 place Dressage Team

Em Schertler and Sequoia Denton - Hanalei Bay
9th Overall Freestyle
🥇 place Freestyle Team
🥉 place Show Jumping Team

Hanalei Bay and Lil Lang head to the finale on Saturday, so please come on out to the Kentucky Horse Park to cheer them on, wear your green, and cheer on CSU!

GO RAMS!

10/08/2026

Dr. Devan is hitting the road! Join her for a free equine education event to learn more about equine nutrition and hay quality!

📍 October 21: Hayden | 5:30–7:30 p.m.

📍 October 22: Meeker | 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. and Grand Junction | 5:30–7:30 p.m.

📍 October 23: Montrose | 5:30–7:30 p.m.

📍 October 24: Salida | 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Hope to see you there! Share with a horse-loving friend who might be interested. 🐎

Routt County Extension CSU Extension - Moffat County Colorado State University Rio Blanco County Extension Tri River Area CSU Extension

10/06/2026

Our CSU Thoroughbred Retraining club is all settled in at the Kentucky Horse Park to compete in the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover!

We have four horses and eight students competing this year, so please stop by barn 6 to meet the teams and get to know our awesome students as they head into competition!

10/06/2026

Mark your calendars!

10/06/2026

Come on out to Adams Atkinson Arena on November 7th to learn all about horses!

Saddle Up With The Equine Experience!!!

On November 7th from 11am-3pm, the Equine Experience at CSU is a free family friendly educational event! Come learn about horses, participate in hands on learning and interactive booths, and even get to make and bring home your own pony!

This free, open to the public, and choose your own adventure event gives kids of all ages an up close horse experience and supports the CSU Equine Science program and its students!

10/03/2026

So proud of our CSU Horse Judging Team for finishing FIFTH at the American Paint Horse Association Horse Judging Championships!

🐏 ⭐️ 🐴

10/02/2026

We’re excited to see CSU Equine Sciences instructor Dr. Maggie Murphy featured in The Rocky Mountain Collegian!

Dr. Murphy brings together an impressive background in equine research, horse judging, horsemanship, and coaching to give CSU students an education that extends far beyond the classroom.

As an instructor and head coach of CSU Horse Judging Team and CSU Ranch Horse Team, Dr. Maggie uses both science and real-world horse experience to help students understand not just what we do with horses, but why we do it. Her research background - including work in equine nutrition, microbiomes, antimicrobial resistance, and even cloned horses—adds another unique dimension to her teaching and mentorship.

We’re proud to have faculty like Maggie who demonstrate how science, horsemanship, teaching, and hands-on experience can come together to prepare the next generation of equine professionals.

Check out the full feature from The Rocky Mountain Collegian:

Maggie Murphy, a Colorado State University equine science instructor, is bringing together long lists of accomplishments in two separate worlds to create a unified classroom experience. A three-time top-10 finalist at the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association National Championship for horsemanship...