News Release Distributed 09/04/14
BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter is offering Master Horseman classes in three locations across the state starting Sept. 8 and 22, according to Neely Walker, extension equine specialist.
The Master Horseman classes are a series of eight weekly three-hour sessions designed to teach basic horsemanship and develop leaders. Topics include nutrition, health, youth development, safety, groundwork, grooming, and selection and evaluation.
“In the riding portion, you start with groundwork and progress to lead departures and further, if possible,” Walker said.
The class series will be offered in Lake Charles at Burton Coliseum starting Sept. 8, led by AgCenter equine specialist Howard Cormier.
The classes starting on Sept. 22 are in Prairieville at the Dixon boarding facility at 39088 Highway 42, led by Walker, and in Ruston at the North Louisiana Exhibition Center on Highway 33, led by Cleve Weisgerber, also an AgCenter equine specialist. Weisgerber’s classes will have a ninth session, he said.
Cost for the classes ranges from $200 to $250 per person. After graduation from the class, members are expected to give 20 hours of volunteer service, helping others learn better horsemanship.
“We don’t keep track of the volunteer hours,” Cormier said. “But we find that people give back far more than 20 hours in helping others.”
For more information about these programs, contact Cormier at 337-296-6819 or hcormier@agcenter.lsu.edu, Weisgerber at 337-423-6803 or cweisgerber@agcenter.lsu.edu, or Walker at 225-200-6321 or nwalker@agcenter.lsu.edu.
Linda Foster Benedict