Educating The Next Generation

The Maplewood Horse Industry Training Program is schooling future horsemen one day at a time through its two-year course.

- Tricia Booker

As 18-year-old Elena Sedlock cooled out a horse she’d just finished riding on a sunny afternoon at Maplewood Stables, she reflected on what she’d learned while walking a familiar path around the barn’s tree-lined courtyard.

The steps she took, literally and figuratively, that day, from feeding to turn out to assisting the veterinarian and farrier to schooling that horse in a jumping lesson, were all leading her on a path she’d decided to follow when she enrolled in Maple-wood’s Horse Industry Training Program.

Established by trainer, rider and judge Julie Winkel, of Reno, Nevada, the two-year course has evolved over the years from an internship to one that fills an expanded educational niche within the equine industry. In 2016 the program received a provisional post-secondary education license by the state of Nevada’s Commission on Postsecondary Education and is expected to earn its full license this fall after which students will be able to apply for government grants and other loans and eventually receive academic credit.

Julie’s successful internship program, which had been in place for more than a decade, was the catalyst for the HITP. “It was a natural next step to work toward achieving the license,” said Julie, who has been in business since 1977. “This required us to follow certain protocols to fulfill the requirements. For example, we developed classroom space and learning centers that were up to standard and created a detailed curriculum, including course descriptions, like any other post-secondary educational institution. We submitted copies of the textbooks we use, such as the USHJA Trainer Certification Program Manual and the student manual we developed early in the program which takes the kids through a quarter-by-quarter synopsis of what to expect.”