OklahomaHorses Magazine July 2022

28 OklahomaHorses • July / August 2022 I t’s all about the horses. Connors State College in Warner offers students two years of colt starting and training experience and classroom study resulting in an associate’s degree in agri- culture and a certificate in equine management. CSC also has a rodeo team that competes in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA). Since the early 1900s, Connors has been a school with hope, challenges, triumphs, and ex- cellence. The first class met in the Warner Public Schools building in 1909. Today, thousands of enrollees study in state-of-the-art facilities on the main campus in Warner and the branch campus in Muskogee. Jake Walker heads up the agriculture equine program and the rodeo team, both on the War- ner campus. He recently announced the addition of rodeo team alumna Jimmie Bryant of Jay, who will serve as assistant rodeo coach and agriculture equine instructor. Facilities on the CSC campus include indoor and outdoor arenas, a stall barn, and paddocks with runs. The campus can accommodate about 100 horses. Tryouts for the rodeo team are held every spring in Warner. “About 80 percent of our ag equine program students are also on the rodeo team, but it’s not a requirement,” Walker ex- plained. “We try to create educated, knowledge- able horse owners as well as preparing those who intend to work in the equine industry.” Team members bring their own horses and trailer rigs for competitions, but ag equine stu- dents work with colts, mostly two-year-olds that are supplied by private owners. Off to a Good Start “We’ve been starting colts for individuals, breeders, performance trainers, etc., for a long time, and some continue to bring us colts every year,” Walker commented. “Some owners take the colts back home to grow and mature a while after we’ve had them, some finish the training themselves, and some send the colts to others for specific training.” Students in the program work with all breeds and disciplines, but most of the colts are prepar- ing for western performance work such as barrel racing and roping. First-year students start three colts, one from September through November, another from January through March, and the third from March through May. Students work with their assigned colts during laboratory classes in the arena from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. Using a system of horse groundwork, students handle the colts daily and give them as many rides as possible to provide a solid founda- tion for green-broke colts. JakeWalker heads the agriculture equine program and is the main rodeo coach at Connors State College. Jimmie Bryant is the new agriculture equine instructor and assistant rodeo coach at Connors State College. The 2021–2022 Connors State College Cowboy Rodeo Team completed a busy season of practice and competition. All about Horses Connors State College Starts Colts and Students Right by Leigh Ann Matthews | Photos courtesy of Connors State College