An equestrian for the past 15 years, University of Kentucky (UK) junior Anna Intartaglio loves everything about horses. It’s no surprise she jumped at the chance to spend her summer conducting research that’s meaningful to the industry. As an intern in the UK Horse Pasture Evaluation Program, she has gained a deeper understanding of the industry she loves so much.

“This summer internship has been really fascinating,” said Intartaglio, a Greentown, Pennsylvania native. “I’ve been learning so much about pastures, horse nutrition, pasture management, and farm management.”

She is just one of a few select students chosen for the competitive summer internship program in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. With guidance from Ray Smith, PhD, UK forage extension specialist, and Krista Lea, MS, program coordinator, the interns work with farm owners and managers to provide in-depth pasture analysis with the ultimate goal of keeping horses safe and healthy and increasing farms’ efficiency and productivity.

Interns can apply to the program from any U.S. college or university. In addition to conducting research for area farms, many students use it as an opportunity to do independent research projects. Kelly Hagan, a Nicholasville, Kentucky, native and senior at Asbury University, is one of those students. A biology major, she is studying alfalfa growth for her senior research project