Kristen M. Wilson

1
Tips for Expanding County Equine Extension
Programming

• Kristen M. Wilson
• Regional Extension Horse Specialist
• Dr. Amy O. Burk
• State Extension Horse Specialist
• Erin D. Petersen
• State Extension Horse Specialist

2
Maryland Horse Industry

• Goods and services valued at 1 billion
• 10,000 FTE jobs annually
• 153,000 horses
• 65,500 Marylanders are involved in the industry
  (not including spectators)

3
Where does Cooperative Extension fit in?

• CES represents a distinct approach for meeting
  the educational needs of horse owners
• Role of CES is to address local concerns and
  needs through educational programming
• Horse Extension Specialists, county faculty and
  staff provide the organizational link between
  research-based information and equine clientele

4
Steps in Program Planning

1. Identifying issues
2. Determining needs
3. Setting goals and objectives
4. Assessing resources
5. Forming a plan
6. Implementing a plan
7. Evaluating results

5
Needs Assessment

• A process for identifying gaps in results and
  arranging them in priority order for resolution.
  These gaps are discrepancies between what should
  be done and what are the current conditions.

6
Why a needs assessment?

• Gather information about attitudes and opinions
  of clientele
• Determine how clientele rank issues,
  opportunities and problems in order of importance
  and urgency
• Give clientele a voice
• Determine clientele's support for initiatives
• Evaluate current programs and policies
• End speculation about what people are thinking
  and what people really want

7
Needs Assessment Steps

1. Determine the purpose
2. Define the goals and objectives
3. Identify the population to be surveyed
4. Determine the information needed
5. Design the instrument and procedure

8
Needs Assessment Steps (cont)

• Prepare timeline and budget
• Conduct pilot test
• Collect information
• Analyze data
• Report findings

9
Determine Purpose

• State exactly why you are interested in
  conducting the study
• Example
• To identify the potential needs of adult horse
  owners in Howard County to improve the relevance
  and, in turn, the effectiveness of Howard
  Countys Extension Horse Program

10
Goals and Objectives

• Show what it is you want to find out about whom
• Be specific!!
• Examples
• To identify what topics and level of education
  horse owners are willing to be involved in.
• To determine where horse owners are currently
  obtaining educational materials.

11
Target Population

• Be specific about the audience you want to survey
• Horse Owners vs. Adult Horse Owners
• Compile mailing list from
• Breed organizations
• 4-H or Pony Club groups
• Sport organizations
• Horse publications
• Take random sample of population

12
Determine Information Needed

• Decide if the information you need already exists
• If so, retrieve information from the source
• If not, need information will need to be
  collected
• Mail survey
• Web survey
• Interviews
• Focus groups

13
Instrument Design Procedure

• Questionnaire design needs to be user friendly
• Things to consider
• Font size
• Paper Color
• Wording of questions
• Sequence of questions
• Use of multiple contacts can help increase
  response rate

14
Survey Instrument Design

• Keep it simple
• Research previous studies that had similar goals
  and objectives
• Check against original proposal and
  goals/objectives
• Shorter instruments are less expensive to
  produce, distribute, collect and analyze

15
Mail vs. Internet Surveys

• Mail
• Easier to get contact lists
• More expensive
• More labor intensive
• Limited technological challenges
• Internet
• Harder to get representative contact lists
• Cheaper
• Less labor intensive
• More technology challenges

16
Supplemental Documents

1. Pre-notice letter
2. Questionnaire mailing
3. Reminder postcard
4. Non-respondent questionnaire mailing
5. IRB Proposal

17
Proposed Timeline

• Pre-notice letter

3 5 days

• Questionnaire Mailing
• Cover letter
• Survey instrument
• Return envelope

1 - 2 weeks
Reminder Postcard
2 - 3 weeks

• Non-Respondent Mailing
• Cover letter
• Survey instrument
• Return envelope

18
Budget

• Expenses can include
• Copying
• Envelopes
• Paper / Letterhead
• Postage
• Pre-letter, Questionnaire Mailing, Reminder
  Postcard, Non-Respondent Mailing and Business
  Reply Envelopes
• Internet survey generator fees

19
Pilot Test

• Small population is identified to participate
• Participants are sent all mailings
• Helps to identify problems with survey instrument
  design before the real study is conducted

20
Data Collection

• Code questionnaires to track responses
• Send out mailings to sample population following
  initial timeline
• Check off and look over questionnaires as they
  are returned
• Set collection time to no more than 6 weeks

21
Data Analysis

• Code questions with numerical values
• Enter data into statistical software
• Excel, SPSS or SASS
• Identify averages and/or frequency of responses

22
Report Findings

• Summarize data in a small report
• Prioritize importance of specific topics / areas
  of concern
• Identify action items and set timelines

23
Extension Horse ProgrammingWhat we already know
and ideas for the future

• Dr. Amy Burk
• Extension Horse Specialist
• University of Maryland

24
What are our Horse Owners Interests?

• Majority of horses used for recreation showing
• Subject matter of interest to owners, ranking
  among top 5 in several surveys
• Training
• Health and general care
• Nutrition
• Pasture Management
• Facilities

(Wilson, 2005 Martinson et al., 2006)
25
Subject Matter Most Asked of MD Extension
Faculty

• Topic Rank
• Pasture/Farm Management 2.94
• Feeds Feeding 2.45
• Basic Care 2.39
• Herd Health Management 2.20
• Business Management 1.94
• Training/Handling 1.88
• Reproduction 1.61

Rank 1 (never) to 5 (always)
(MCE Equine Survey, 2007)
26
Information Sources and Channels Used by Horse
Owners

• Sources
• Trainers/Riding instructors
• Veterinarians
• Farriers
• Other horse owners
• Channels
• Horse related magazines
• Internet
• One-on-one consultations

Are Trainers Veterinarians in your
target audience?
(NAHMS, 1998 Israel and Wilson, 2006 Martinson
et al., 2006)
27
Ideas for Extension Horse Programming
28
Things to Keep In Mind About Horse People Before
You Plan

• Feed 7-9am 4-6pm
• Evening lessons
• Horses ridden/shown on weekends
• Show season usually April to November
• Some show year long
• Some travel to Florida in winter
• Good time for some types of programs
• Dec., Jan., Feb., March

29
Seminars/Conferences/Workshops

• Format works well for most subjects
• Timing
• Evenings - Tues, Wed, Thurs, 630pm to 830pm
• Saturdays, 9am to 4pm
• Hands-on demonstrations popular
• Online methods gaining in popularity
• Speakers
• MCE, veterinarians, university and local experts
• Sponsorships
• MHIB, Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, Feed Dealers
• Keep fees lt 35/pp

30
Field Days/Pasture Walks

• Demonstrations
• Body condition score
• Weed control
• Equipment use
• Observation of practices
• Lime application
• Weed ID
• Rotational grazing
• Presentations

Pasture walk in Montgomery Co.
31
Internet/Online Methods

• Publish resources
• Chat Rooms
• Online seminars
• Online classes
• eXtension

32
Youth

• Educational programs offer varied topics in
  shorter increments than used for adults
• Teaching Tools
• Contests
• Field Trips
• Games
• Hands-on clinics and workshops
• Judging
• Lectures/Guest speakers
• Presentations by other children
• Tours
• Videos

Horse wearing a nappy for equine nutrition
research
33
What Talks Could MCE Give?

• Ask MCE faculty to give same/similar talk to
  those given before
• See handout in packet
• Some presentation PPTs available
• www.equinestudies.umd.edu/extension

34
Questions
35
Equine Information Resources
Erin D. Petersen, MS, PAS Extension Horse
Specialist
36
In Your Packet

• Maryland Area Veterinarians
• Maryland Area Farriers
• Feed Companies in Maryland
• Maryland Horse Shows/Events
• What are the different riding events anyhow?
• Resources from outside MCE

37
Different Riding Eventsbriefly explained!

• Trail Ridingpretty self-explanatory.

• Maryland Horse Council Trail Riding Clubs

38
Walking Horses

• Gaited horses are popular breeds for trail
  riding, but they also have recognized shows

• Chesapeake Plantation Walking Horse Club
• Plantation Walking Horses of Maryland

39
Western Events

• National Barrel Horse Association
• Maryland Quarter Horse Association
• 4-H

40
Hunter/Jumper

• Chronicle of the Horse
• Maryland Horse Show Association
• Maryland Saddle Association
• Southern Maryland Horse Show Association
• 4-H
• Pony Club

41
Dressage

• Chronicle of the Horse
• Potomac Valley Dressage Association
• 4-H
• Pony Club

42
Eventing

• Chronicle of the Horse
• US Eventing Association Area II
• Pony Club

43
Polo

• Maryland Polo Club plays at Ladew Polo Fields
• 4-H
• Pony Club (Polocrosse)

44
Websites, Publications

• Horse Outreach Workgroup
• Group within Maryland Department of Agriculture
• Composed of
• Soil Conservation Personnel
• Maryland Cooperative Extension Faculty (Amy Burk,
  Erin Petersen, Les Vough)
• USDA/NRCS Personnel
• http//www.mda.state.md.us/resource_conservation/t
  echnical_assistance/how.php

45
Websites, Publications

• Good Factsheets
• University of California-Davis
• http//www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/CEH/
• University of Kentucky
• http//www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/farm/equinepu
  b.htmltop
• Penn State University (facilties, manure)
• http//www.das.psu.edu/publications/index.cfm?quer
  yKeywords9searchByKeywordABBytopicqueryStri
  ng

46
Websites, Publications

• Good Factsheets
• Rutgers University
• http//njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/subcategory.asp?cat
  2sub14
• Virginia Tech
• http//www.ext.vt.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Docs.woa/
  wa/getcat?catir-lpd-ho
• Texas AM University
• http//animalscience.tamu.edu/main/academics/equin
  e/pubs.html
• Ohio State University
• http//extension.osu.edu/crops_and_livestock/equin
  e.php

47
Reaching Your Audience

• Horse people are tough nuts to crack!
• Typical horse owner?
• Use of existing programs
• Personal finance and budgeting
• Farm budgeting
• Nutrient Management
• Pesticide Certification
• Pasture topics are always a hit

48
Reaching Your Audience

• Have an event that might interest horse owners?
• LET US KNOW!!! (Email Erin with details)
• Equiery Cooperative Extension Happenings
• Deadline is 10th of every month for the following
  month (i.e., March 10th for April events)
• Equine Studies Website News and Events on the
  opening page

petersdr_at_umd.edu
49
Reaching Your Audience

• Keep websites up-to-date
• Create a Newsletter/add horse owners to existing
  Newsletter
• University of Maryland Equine Newsletter!
• If you have events for the 2nd quarter in 2008,
  let us know soon!
• Feel free to submit articles or suggestions for
  future topics
• Fact Sheets
• Include horse information when possible
• Let us know of topic areas youd like to see

50
QUESTIONS?