Summer is in the air and foals are on the ground at the University of Florida (UF) College of Veterinary Medicine and in Ocala, Florida, horse country. Helping to care for these foals are faculty, staff, and students from the college, as well as animal science students from the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS).

The agricultural sciences and food institute operates two equine centers: the Equine Sciences Center (ESC) in Ocala and the Horse Teaching Unit in Gainesville. The facilities serve as training grounds for veterinary students, who visit as part of their veterinary reproduction rotation, and for undergraduate students who train to enter the equine or agricultural industry when they finish school.

“The students who go with me to Ocala work mostly on the breeding management of mares and with the foals,” said Audrey Kelleman, DVM, Dipl. ACT, a lecturer in the college’s department of large animal clinical sciences and a specialist in equine reproduction. “Under my guidance and that of the farm managers, the students get a lot of practical experiences that are excellent for building their clinical skills.”

The Equine Sciences Center, established in 1969, serves primarily as a nutrition and reproductive research facility. The center consists of 320 acres, mostly under pasture, but also houses a laboratory complex, barns, paddocks, and residences for staff and students