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Major · Agricultural, Animal, Plant & Veterinary Sciences

A passion-driven major with a narrow career funnel and modest pay

Equestrian/Equine Studies trains students in horsemanship, stable and barn management, equine nutrition and reproduction, riding instruction, and the business of horse operations. About 452 degrees are awarded each year across 55 colleges, split between two-year and four-year programs at small specialized schools and a handful of land-grant agricultural universities.

Schools offering
55
Annual completions
452
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$40k

About this major

Equestrian/Equine Studies is built around the horse — the science of how horses are bred, fed, conditioned, and trained, and the practical skills of riding, instruction, stable management, and equine-business operations. The CIP definition spans horse breeding, nutrition, health, and safety; horsemanship history and technique; horse and rider development; stable, paddock, and track management; and equipment care. Coursework typically combines classroom instruction in equine biology, exercise physiology, reproduction, and genetics with substantial hands-on lab work in stables and arenas. Most programs require students to ride or work directly with horses as part of the curriculum, and many maintain working barns, breeding facilities, or arena complexes as part of campus.

The major sits at a small specialized scale — about 452 degrees awarded each year across 55 colleges, with a roughly even split between bachelor's and associate's completions. The top-completions list reflects this niche character. Post University in Connecticut leads with 57 bachelor's completions, followed by Colorado State University-Fort Collins (46) and the University of Findlay in Ohio (36, with both associate's and bachelor's tracks). The University of Montana-Western, Asbury University in Kentucky, West Texas A&M, William Woods in Missouri, and Centenary University in New Jersey each award between 17 and 23 degrees annually. Two community colleges — College of Central Florida (Ocala, the heart of central Florida horse country) and Hocking College in Ohio — round out the top ten with two-year programs feeding the industry. Land-grant ag schools like Colorado State, Texas A&M, and the University of Kentucky often run equine-science work through their broader animal sciences departments.

At the career level, the data are tight. Only two BLS occupations track to this major in the standard mapping: animal trainers ($38,750 median wage, +5.1% projected growth, high school diploma typical) and postsecondary agricultural sciences teachers ($86,350, +4.1%, doctoral degree typical). The first is the realistic bachelor's-accessible destination; the second is a research-faculty career that requires a master's and Ph.D. on top of the bachelor's. Most of the actual industry — head trainers, barn managers, riding instructors, stallion-station techs, racetrack officials, breeding-farm operations — falls inside the broader animal-trainer and animal-caretaker BLS categories or sits in adjacent SOC codes that don't map cleanly to a single major. Five-year median earnings of $39,897 across all completers ($41,716 bachelor's, $32,618 associate's) confirm what the industry pays.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Animal trainers $39k +5.1% High school diploma or equivalent
Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary $86k +4.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$40k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$33k

Bachelor's

$42k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you've already spent meaningful time around horses and want a structured framework — equine biology, riding pedagogy, stable economics — to build a working life in the industry. Students who arrive with riding experience, comfort around large animals, and a willingness to work physically demanding hours in barn-and-arena settings tend to find the curriculum engaging rather than punishing. The major fits well if your career target is one of the industry's defined lanes: riding instructor (CHA-certified), barn or facility manager, breeding-farm staff, racetrack work, therapeutic riding instructor (PATH International), or equine-business operations. It also serves as a pre-veterinary platform for students set on equine-vet practice, though the science-prerequisite coverage varies by program and should be checked carefully.

Think twice if your primary motivation is earnings. Five-year median earnings of $39,897 reflect what the industry actually pays at the bachelor's level, and the $9,000 associate's-to-bachelor's gap is narrow compared with most four-year majors. Think twice also if you're not willing to relocate — successful equine-industry careers cluster heavily in horse-rich regions (Kentucky, Florida, California, Texas, Oklahoma) and the Wellington-USEF circuit, and graduates who try to stay in regions without that infrastructure often pivot out within a few years. And think twice if you're drawn to animals more broadly rather than horses specifically — Animal Sciences, General (CIP 01.0901) covers a wider species range with more career destinations and a stronger science foundation, and Pre-Veterinary Studies (CIP 01.1302) is the more direct route if vet school is the goal. The honest read: this is a mission-fit major. Students for whom horses are the answer to the question "what do I want to spend my life around" tend to make it work despite the wage realities. Students hoping the credential will lift them above industry pay norms generally don't.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Equestrian/Equine Studies

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Post University Waterbury, CT 0 57 57
Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO 0 46 46
The University of Findlay Findlay, OH 12 24 36
The University of Montana-Western Dillon, MT 5 18 23
Asbury University Wilmore, KY 0 21 21
West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX 0 20 20
William Woods University Fulton, MO 0 20 20
College of Central Florida Ocala, FL 18 0 18
Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ 3 14 17
Hocking College Nelsonville, OH 15 0 15
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations

3,011 completions/yr

Agriculture, General

2,733 completions/yr

Agricultural Business and Management, General

1,697 completions/yr

Agricultural Economics

1,453 completions/yr

Farm/Farm and Ranch Management

227 completions/yr

Animal Training

57 completions/yr

Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services, Other

30 completions/yr

Dog/Pet/Animal Grooming

7 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Equestrian/Equine Studies majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework blends classroom instruction in equine biology, nutrition, reproduction, exercise physiology, and genetics with substantial hands-on work in stables, riding arenas, and breeding facilities. Programs typically include riding labs, stable management rotations, and instruction in equipment care. Upper-division work tends to specialize — students may track into riding instruction, barn or facility management, breeding farm operations, equine business, or pre-veterinary preparation. The CIP definition emphasizes both the science of horse care and the practical skills of riding, training, and managing horses and the people who work with them.
What kinds of jobs do Equestrian/Equine Studies graduates end up in?
The closest tracked occupation is animal trainers at $38,750 median wage with 5.1% projected growth — a role that lists only a high school diploma as the typical entry credential. Most equine-industry jobs sit at or near that wage band: assistant trainers, barn managers, riding instructors, stallion-station technicians, and breeding-farm staff typically earn $30,000 to $45,000. Higher-paying paths exist — head trainer at a major show barn, racetrack steward, or equine-veterinary practice manager — but they generally require ten or more years of experience plus reputation in a regional circuit. The other tracked career, postsecondary agricultural sciences teacher at $86,350, requires a doctoral degree and is not a bachelor's-accessible destination.
Is the earnings picture honest for this major?
The five-year median earnings figure is $39,897 across degree levels, with a notable split: bachelor's completers report $41,716 versus $32,618 for associate's completers — about a $9,000 gap. That five-year median sits well below most four-year majors and is consistent with what equine-industry roles actually pay. The honest read: this is not a major to choose for income optimization. Students who pursue it almost always do so because they want a working life around horses, and the wage figures reflect the realities of an industry built on passion-driven labor and access to horse-rich regions like Kentucky, Florida, California, and Texas.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough for Equestrian/Equine Studies?
It depends on your target. The animal trainer role — the closest tracked occupation — lists a high school diploma as the typical entry credential, which means neither a bachelor's nor an associate's is technically required for the bulk of equine-industry hands-on work. Where the bachelor's earns its keep is in two specific lanes: pre-veterinary preparation (DVM admission requires a bachelor's plus prerequisites) and any path involving graduate study in animal science, equine business, or equine reproduction. The $9,000 associate's-to-bachelor's earnings gap is meaningful in percentage terms but small in absolute dollars. If your goal is barn management, riding instruction, or breeding-farm work, the credential weighs less than reputation, network, and time logged in the saddle.
Is this the right major if I want to be an equine veterinarian?
Equestrian/Equine Studies can serve as a pre-veterinary track but is not the most efficient path. Veterinary school admission requires a bachelor's degree plus specific prerequisites — biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and animal science coursework — and equine programs vary widely in how rigorously they cover those. A more direct route is a bachelor's in Animal Sciences, Biology, or Pre-Veterinary Studies (CIP 01.1302) with elective equine work and clinical hours at an equine practice. Once admitted to vet school, students who want to specialize in equine medicine pursue board certification (ACT, ACVS, or ABVP equine) through additional residency training. If the science prerequisites at your equestrian program are thin, a science major with equine immersion outside the curriculum often serves the vet-school application better.
Where do graduates actually work geographically?
The equine industry is heavily geographically concentrated. Thoroughbred racing clusters in Kentucky (Keeneland, Churchill Downs), Florida (Gulfstream, Tampa Bay Downs), and California (Santa Anita, Del Mar). Hunter/jumper and dressage circuits center on Wellington, Florida (the Winter Equestrian Festival) and the broader USEF show circuit. Quarter Horse, cutting, and reining work concentrates in Texas and Oklahoma. Polo bases run through Wellington, Greenwich, and Santa Barbara. Therapeutic riding work (PATH International-certified) is more dispersed but still favors regions with established stable infrastructure. Most graduates need to be willing to relocate to a horse-rich region — and willing to start at the entry-level wage band — to build a sustainable career in the industry.
What pivot options exist if the equine industry doesn't work out?
The skill set translates reasonably well into adjacent agricultural fields. Animal nutrition companies (Purina, Cargill animal nutrition) hire graduates with livestock-handling experience for sales and field-rep roles. Agricultural extension services, ag-tech companies, and large-animal veterinary technician work all draw from the same talent pool. Within the equine industry itself, certifications like USHJA judging, USDF dressage, CHA riding-instructor, and PATH Intl therapy-instructor open additional revenue streams that pair with primary employment. For students who develop a business interest, equine-business management — facility operations, event production, equine real estate, equine insurance — offers higher earning ceilings than the hands-on roles. Related majors like Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations (CIP 01.0102) or Animal Sciences General can be considered as alternatives if the broader scope appeals.