ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – The first publicly financed school in the nation devoted to horse riding and care is set to open this fall, with help from a federal grant.
The New Hampshire Equestrian Academy, a charter high school, got the first installment of a three-year, $400,000 grant last month and should open in September, said superintendent Susan Hollins.
The school’s primary function will be preparing students for college, but it will also offer “a complete equine studies career program,” she said.
“This is the first school of its kind we can find in the public sector,” Hollins said. “There’s a great need and interest for a school like this, but the facilities issue is daunting. It’s understandable that a school like this doesn’t exist.”
The school does not have its own facilities, but will operate on land and buildings at the 110-acre Myhre Equine Clinic. Their use has been donated by Dr. Grant Myhre, who runs the only large referral hospital for horses in New England.
School officials hope that over time, and with fundraising efforts and grants, they can build an academic building and conference center, an indoor arena, a small stable and a small building for equine studies.
Leslie Bryan, president of the board of trustees, said 18 students in the ninth and tenth grades have signed up for the fall. The academy will add more students over the next two years.
“I wanted a high standard high school,” said Bryan, “where students would not only be prepared for any college in the country, but they would also have a portfolio of work. The students we attract are incredibly bright students who also have a passion for horses.”
The academy is trying to hire two teachers qualified to teach both traditional academics and equine studies. Hiring teachers and marketing the school should be easier now that it has some financial stability, Bryan said.
In addition to the federal grant, the charter school also will get about $3,700 per pupil each year from the state.
The academy will have an equestrian team, but Hollins said it is not a riding school: “At least four of the students enrolling have said they want to be veterinarians,” she said. The curriculum also will include events planning and management.
Students are coming from across the state, including two who will carpool from Keene, Bryan said.
“Horse people are just very creative and driven,” she said. “We have done almost no advertising, but we have had interest not only in New Hampshire, but all over the country.”
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