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Course Details
Course Name: Equine Nutrition
Course Code: AA0308WA25
Date of Most Recent Offering: January 21 – May 5, 2025
Course Overview
This course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the nutritional management and requirements of horses.
Course Format and Assessment
Two sections of the course will be offered, each with a different course workload, level of required interaction, and completion documentation. Attendees can pick the type of program that best meets their informational needs and preferred level of engagement. Details are below.
Certificate of Completion (AA0307WA25) Sold Out!
The first option (AA0307WA25) will offer a Certificate of Completion for students passing with at least an 80% and will require registrants to be fully engaged each week, completing readings, watching videos, participating in discussions with classmates, submitting assignments, and taking quizzes within established weekly deadlines. They must also complete a final project. If you enroll in this section, you will be assessed following the same criteria as Rutgers undergraduates who are taking this course for college credit.
You will be required to:
- Submit weekly assignments
- Complete readings
- Watch videos
- Complete class assessments
- Participate in class discussions
- Review case studies
- Take quizzes
- Complete a final project
Within each week, the discussions and assignments are self-paced but have due dates at the end of that week. There are no scheduled lecture times. Therefore, when you complete the work within the week is entirely up to you and what works for your schedule, so long as it is submitted by each weekly deadline. Student performance assessment is based on the items in the list above. The instructor is always on hand to answer questions along the way.
If you successfully complete the course work and pass the class with a grade of 80% or better, you will receive a Certificate of Completion.
Certificate of Course Participation (AA0308WA25)
The second option (AA0308WA25) contains the same academic material as the first option, but is based on automatically graded quizzes that are required to be completed in order to move on to the next section of the course. This program is completely self-paced (you may work through the content at your convenience from week to week) with only practice assignments and no associated deadlines, however you must complete the course by the end of the semester. Registrants who successfully complete this course within the semester timeframe will receive a Certificate of Course Participation.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify and compare the basic digestive anatomy of horses and how it relates to digestion and absorption.
- Recognize the diversity of a horse’s nutritional requirements based on different life stages.
- Critically evaluate feeding programs, recognize deficits/excesses in the rations, and know the signs to look for in horses fed deficient or excess nutrients.
- Critique feeds and supplements with regard to quality, nutrient content, and necessity in a horse’s ration.
- Design a feeding program for a farm incorporating 3-4 different life stages and one problem horse.
Featured Topics
Both formats of this course will include the topics below.
- Gastrointestinal Physiology
- Digestion
- Essential Nutrients
- Feeds and Supplements
- Reading Feed Tags
- Evaluating a Forage Analysis
- Pasture Management
- Ration Analysis and Balancing
- Nutritional Deficits and Excesses
- Nutrition-related Diseases
- Myths in Equine Nutrition
- Nutritional Management of Mares, Stallions, Foals, and Performance Horses
Who Should Attend?
This 14-week program is an undergraduate course that is offered in two different formats on a noncredit basis to horse owners, trainers, feed sales representatives, and anyone else who is interested in the topic. The two formats offer different levels of attendee/faculty engagement (see above for more details), but both are appropriate for both novice and experienced horse enthusiasts, though some background in both nutrition and equine science is necessary to excel in the course.
Prerequisites
A high school diploma is required.
Meet Your Instructor
Dr. Carey Williams, Professor, Rutgers Department of Animal Sciences and Equine Extension Specialist
Student Reviews
“Dr. Williams was outstanding and broke down a lot of the information into easily digestible (no pun intended) parts. I look forward to applying all I have learned at my barn.”
– Past Participant
“I really learned a lot of valuable information to apply to my business and also make my own horses happy and healthier!”
– Past Participant
“Loved this class and everything I learned! The knowledge I gained was amazing. Dr. Williams was an excellent teacher – so smart and funny! I would recommend this class to ANY horse owner, rider, trainer, vet tech, and so on. Excellent job!”
– Past Participant
Continuing Education Credits
The Equine Nutrition course is approved for 3.6 Rutgers CEUs (36 contact hours).
Course Requirements and Policies
Course Textbooks and Videos
Students are responsible for obtaining the required supplemental text. Purchasing the supplemental text is optional. All other materials and videos are provided through the course website.
- REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTAL: National Research Council: Nutrient Requirements of Horses, 6th Revised Edition, 2007
- This text can be purchased as a paperback, hard cover, or Ebook version.
- SUPPLEMENTAL: Horse Pasture Management, ed. Paul H. Sharpe, 1st Edition, 2018, Academic Press
- Chapters will be supplied in the course website or you can purchase the hard copy or eBook.
- Videos will be provided in course website.
Technology Requirements
This online course will be facilitated using Rutgers Canvas Learning Management System. A computer (desktop or laptop) is required. After you register, you will receive an email from “Rutgers University Canvas” prompting you to click a link to finish setting up your Canvas account. If you do not see this message in your inbox, please check your junk/spam folder. The instructor, Dr. Carey Williams, will send you a link to the class when we get closer to the start date in January.
Email Requirement
A unique email address is required for each registrant to register and access our courses.
- If this is your first time registering with us, please provide your own unique email address when registering; do not provide an email address that you share with co-workers.
- If you have previously taken classes with us and have used an email address that you share with your co-workers or supervisor, your account must be updated with a unique email address. To do this, please send an email to us at registration@njaes.rutgers.edu stating that your email address needs to be changed and include:
- Your full name
- The shared email address that needs to be changed
- Your unique email address
- A phone number where you can be reached if we have any questions
Cancellations and Substitutions
A $100 cancellation fee applies for this course. Substitutions are permitted. View our cancellation policy.
Program Questions? We’re Here to Help!
If you have any questions about Equine Nutrition, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Program Coordinator: Pamela Springard-Mayer
848-932-7463
pspring@rutgers.edu
Administrative Assistant: Claudine Oleskin
848-932-7204
coleskin@njaes.rutgers.edu
For registration assistance, please contact our Registration Department at 848-932-9271, option 2 or email registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.
