'Razorback Roundup' sales total $46,722 for UA Equine Program
Nov. 27, 2007Contact Information:
Dr. Nancy Jack, Animal Science, 479-575-3745, njack@uark.edu
Fred Miller, Communications, 479-575-5647, fmiller@uark.edu
Summer equine interns in the Dorothy E. King Equine Program at the University of Arkansas organize and prepare the horses for the annual Razorback Roundup horse and tack sale. This year's interns are, from left, Nathan Criss of Salem; Lauren Henson of Little Rock; Allison Cantrell of Batesville; Tim Gaskell of Winchester, Ky.; Kimberly Santos of Shawnnee, Okla; Kaylee Daughtery of Lincoln; Brett Ausley of Bismark, Ark.; Diane Bradmiller of Georgetown, Texas; and Trey Graber of Huntsville.This year’s overall average sale price per horse was the highest ever at $2,537, she said. Profits from the sale are used for the care of horses and for University of Arkansas student activities and teaching programs in animal science.
Akkabar, a three-year-old Arabian gelding donated by Carolyn Shelton of Richmond, Texas, was the high selling riding horse at $6,400. He sold to Dr. Mike Roman, Meadowcreek Farm, Little Rock. Other details on the sale are online at www.razorbackroundup.org.
More than 500 guests attended the auction at the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Arena. Sixty undergraduate students and 12 graduate students participated, Jack said. Students enrolled in the "Behavior and Training and Horse & Livestock Merchandising" course trained and cared for the horses in this year's sale.
Most preparations begin when classes start in the fall, but a small band of summer interns begin sale production three months earlier, Jack said. In addition to horse care, the interns prepared and photographed horses to be sold along with record keeping, feeding, daily care of horses and upkeep of the D.E. King Pavilion and grounds.
Marci Jennings, a 2004 graduate and former Fayetteville resident, said, “I feel the hands-on experience I gained while a student at the University of Arkansas, particularly the internships provided by the D.E. King Equine Program, helped me to be a more desirable candidate when seeking a position in the horse industry." Jennings is now an equine instructor and extension specialist at the University of Missouri.
Additional support in producing the Razorback Roundup comes from student staff members and teaching assistants, Jack said. Some student staff members work all summer while others work through the fall semester.
"The success of the program and fund raising events relies heavily upon the dedication and hard work that the students and interns provide," Jack said.