Asbury University (AU) Equine Studies students, Gracie Friese ’27 and McKenna Rumage ’27, received nationally competitive scholarships from the EQUUS Foundation, which gave $40,000 overall in scholarships to 33 undergraduate and graduate level students enrolled in equine studies and veterinary programs around the U.S.
“The Department of Equine Studies is overjoyed to recognize Gracie and McKenna who have shown great commitment to the equine program and are both training multiple horses in the Asbury Service Mounts program, equipping the horses to serve in mounted police units throughout the country,” said Department Chair of Equine Studies Dr. Melissa Altman. “We are incredibly proud of the effort and achievements of Gracie and McKenna and are grateful for the benefits this scholarship will afford them not only financially but also as a token signifying recognition of their dedication and accomplishments. We are incredibly proud of the way our equine students are gaining recognition on a national scale, embodying academic excellence and spiritual vitality.”
“I believe horsemanship is a partnership, wherein both horses and trainers should be so in tune with each other that they can practically read each other’s thoughts,” said Friese, a junior from Columbia, Tenn. “I plan to start my own police horse training business, training my own horses and selling them to police units. Once my business gains momentum and I establish a solid foundation, I will expand my property to accommodate retired police horses, providing them with a safe and peaceful retirement home.”
Friese works with her personal mare in AU’s unique Service Mounts Program, which produces animals for use in police and other service units across the U.S. and Canada. One of Friese’s “trainees” has already been claimed by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department in Massachusetts, where he will serve as a police horse upon his “graduation” from AU next year.
“Starting young horses and encouraging a connection between the horse and rider is my main focus,” said Rumage, a junior from Frankfort, Ky. “I want to see horses reach their full potential in their training and create an environment of peace and trust where both the horse and rider can feel safe. Long term, I would like to own a training facility where I can give others the same opportunities I experienced growing up with horses.”
The Asbury University Shaw School of Sciences includes five departments: Biology & Chemistry, Equine Studies, Exercise Science, Mathematics & Computer Science, and Nursing. Asbury’s Department of Equine Studies includes undergraduate majors in Equine Assisted Services, Equine Science, and Equine Studies and undergraduate minors in Equine Business Management and Equine Studies.