Many agents apprecaite the horse industry and the impact it has in Kentucky but they may not appreciate the scope of the industry. The study tour was developed to show the scope of the Quarter Horse Industry and the use of horses in the beef industry. To accomplish this a study tour was set up that visited various horse operations in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. While horse operations were the focus the tour also included academic institutions and museums all focused on the horse industry. 

The tour had 7 ANR agents , a 4-H agent and a research specialist from Plant and Soil Sciences. The agents that came on the tour were from all areas of the state and had participated in Equine Extension programs in the past.  

The tour visited 4 major Quarter Horse operations that covered all aspects of the Quarter Horse Industry from racing to cutting and ranch use. Three of the ranches have received the AQHA Best Remuda award for the horses they raise and use on their ranches. Seeing how horses were used on the ranches and learning more about ranch management was a significant part of the tour. In addition we were able to tour a feedyard that uses horses to check pens on a daily basis. The feed yard had a current capacity of 86,400 head  with pen riders who checked pens daily all on horse back.

the tour included the Equine Facilities at Texas Tech University and West Texas A&M University.

While in Amarillo the tour stopped at the AQHA Museum where the history of the Quarter Horse is displayed.

As the tour headed home a stop was made at teh Oklahoma State Fair Grounds which lists itself as the horse show capital of the world. The group was able to see the expansive facilities and learn how they can transition the 3000 plus stalls from one show to the next is as little as 36 hours.

Lastly the group toured the Purina Equine Research facility and the Budweiser Clydesdale facility where the horses are raised and begin their early training to become a Budweiser Clydesdale.

A specific area that was important  to the group and they appreciated the management required to manage grassland in the face of minimal rainfall. One ranch in Texas had only 0.7 inches of rainfall over the previous 9 month

A comment made at the end of the trip was how much they had learned and how much there was to the horse industry in particular the size and scope of the Quarter Horse Industry.