University of Florida Equine Breeding

The University of Florida equine breeding program has really grown over the past several years. I am a University of Florida graduate. My degree is actually in Animal Science with an equine specialty! I became very familiar with UF’s equine program during my time there. Their program is very unique because the students have a part in almost every aspect of it. There are classes for breeding, foaling, weanling handling, colt starting, and more. The University breeds their own mares, then those foals are sold (years) later in an auction that is put on and marketed by the students. When I say that the students are heavily involved, I mean it! Not to mention the various textbook classes they have that teach about horses. I took several of these classes, including the foaling class. The nights were long, but nothing beats the sunsets at the Research Center or playing with newborn foals.

A few months ago I needed to test a couple of lenses that I was interested in buying. I immediately wanted to photograph foals (can you blame me?!) since typically they are very quick and cute. I needed to test the accuracy, quickness, and sharpness of the lenses I was using. Unfortunately, I caught these sweet babies during their nap-time! Though I did not get the action photos that I was crossing my fingers for, I still took some very cute photos of these foals. Some of them even let me snuggle for a minute! My favorite photo is the first photo. I love how these two colts were interacting. They were sniffing muzzles and scratching each other’s backs. Does it get any cuter than two babies being sweet to each other?! These foals will be at the University for two years before they are sold at auction, you can find information here.