Annual Equestrian Showcase Planned at WWU
Saturday, October 6, 2007
FULTON, MO – William Woods University’s annual Equestrian Academic Showcase will take place on Nov. 3 and will feature famous horse trainer, Richard Shrake, and German Dressage coach, Alex Wortmann.
This annual showcase is a way for prospective students who are interested in equestrian studies to learn about the program and all the things William Woods has to offer them as students.
Prospective students attending the showcase will take part in several different activities throughout the day, including tours of the equestrian facilities, a parade of the different riding disciplines and an overview of the equestrian studies division.
Other events will include presentations from the Student Life, Greek and Residential Life offices. Tours of the historic campus will be ongoing throughout the day.
There will be breakout sessions with the four riding seats offered—western, saddle seat, hunter/jumper and dressage. Students and parents will get a change to ask questions of equestrian faculty and students.
Shrake, the featured clinician, has received numerous awards and honors in the equestrian field during his 40-year career as a professional. He is the creator of “Resistance Free Training and Riding Methods” and has written three best-selling equestrian books and produced 29 equine educational DVDs.
He has served as an instructor for more than 4,000 clinics and has given lectures at more than 200 universities across the country. He is currently an advisor board member of six college and university equine programs.
Recently, he the won the award for trainer and rider of all-around horse at the Quarter Horse Congress, the world’s largest horse show.
Wortmann is no stranger to horse training either. He has been a certified dressage trainer/instructor to the F.E.I. for the past 30 years. During the year he spends six months training and giving clinics in Europe and six months in North America.
His company, “Wortmann International Performance Sales and Training,” imports quality, warm-blooded horses from Germany to its clients all over the world.
While he is not training, he competes in dressage and jumping competitions in Europe. Some of his noticeable accomplishments include winning the German F.N. bronze and silver performance awards.
Wortmann’s clinic will be held in Rowland Arena and Shrake’s clinic will be in the UPHA arena.
William Woods University, in 1972, was the first school in the country to offer a bachelor’s degree in equestrian science. A degree in equine administration was added in 1992.
The university has a reputation for providing one of the finest equestrian studies programs in the country—filling a national, regional and local demand for graduates holding a four-year equestrian science degree.
This demand is heightened by a thriving equine industry that contributes about $112 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product each year.
The university’s equestrian facilities encompass a city block, with 150 large box stalls in four stables, two heated indoor arenas, a lighted outdoor ring and a 40-acre cross-country riding course.
The equestrian studies program is the most popular field of study at William Woods There are currently 155 equestrian science majors and 33 equine administration majors. The placement rate for WWU equestrian graduates is nearly 100 percent.
Breeds represented in the William Woods stable include American Saddlebreds, Appaloosas, Arabians, Morgans, National Show Horses, Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Friesians and Warmbloods.
Prospective students interested in attending the Equestrian Academic Showcase should contact the WWU Office of Admissions at (573) 592-4221 or admissions@williamwoods.edu.
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