Martin Community College — Local services in Williamston

This review pertains to the equestrian program specifically. I have not been a student personally but was intrigued by the notion of an equestrian program at a community college level. Having attended a community college myself, I can see the value in offering programs that are more financially accessible. My understanding was that the students work with professionals to learn about and eventually get to start young horses. Bearing this in mind, I indulged the request to use a young horse of mine as one of the ones to be started by a student with professional supervision. The director and instructor, Tammy Thurston is the individual who teaches the Colt starting class. Upon the return of my filly, she could walk, trot and Canter both directions in an arena. But, she also had girth sores resulting in scarring from the training methods used and her feet were overgrown despite having been told she would be trimmed every 4 weeks. Anyone with any sense knows how important maintaining correct hoof balance is in overall development. Furthermore, when I arrived to pick her up I noted she had a runny nose with yellowish green discharge. It was later noted that she had an accompanying cough. When I asked about the duration of symptoms I was told that several of the horses had had a runny nose recently from allergies. A week later after a vet visit and plenty of antibiotics her respiratory symptoms have improved. Because of my concern for the well-being of the horses in the program I brought my concerns to the director. Initially, the position of the director was that the college was not responsible for the care of the horses in that class because the students had signed lease agreements with the owners to use for the class. My concerns were belittled and more or less blamed on the student that had used the horse for the class. What's worse is that the instructor/director further stated that she and her husband train 20 to 30 horses a year and that 75% of them develop girth stores and white hairs AKA scarring. It says a lot about the mind of my young horse that she didn't retaliate because of the pain and cause serious injury. While the program may be a good price, I'm afraid you get what you pay for as a student seeking an education working with horses. Hopefully, my concerns will not be dismissed and something will be done about the choice of farrier and the involvement of the instructors in the care of the horses beyond "training" them...

If you are a small business you need to check out their free Small Business Center free small businesses resources. It is a delightful campus and I was told they have one of the states leading equestrian programs. You can see the horses at the side...

I was at a free Bookkeeping Seminar at Martin Community College. We received great information from the instructor and valuable networking time also. I'm so happy to be part of...