Sustainable Horsemanship for the Teamsters of Tomorrow
The Draft Horse Program at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst is a collaborative project between the Stockbridge School of Agriculture and Blue Star Equiculture Draft Horse Sanctuary and Organic Farm in Palmer, MA.
The UMass Draft Horse Program is part of Blue Star Equiculture’s wider mission to educate the public about the capabilities of real working horses. Blue Star Equiculture is a 501c3 non-profit organization and all of our programs are made possible through donations and support from the general public.
In addition to our catalog of draft horse courses, Blue Star also offers equine husbandry and draft farming workshops and events, to bring a broader appreciation of draft horses to the wider population.
Courses in the Draft Horse Program are open to all students in the Five College system, as well as to a limited number of students from the general public. Our students are drawn from a variety of majors, including Equine Industries in the Stockbridge School (the program’s institutional home), Veterinary and Animal Science, Agriculture and other programs in the College of Natural Sciences. Knowing how to drive draft horses is an important skill for any equine professional. UMass’s Draft Horse Program also appeals to the many future farmers and food growers who are interested in organic farming and in reducing their carbon footprint by the use of real animal power. Class size is small to allow for maximum hands-on time.