Enrollment Increases 128% In Six Years - Tiffin University

Also, along with two other assistants, we
ran a summer camp, where children from 6
to 17 years of age could come for a week to
learn horse skills.
The second half of the summer, I worked in
the trail barn. This was a very exciting daily
job. Every day, we would arrive at the barn
before the first trail ride which began at
7:30 a.m. We had 43 trail horses to take care
of, and everyone contributed to running a
very successful business. On average, we
would send out about 80-100 trail riders a
day, so all of the horses had to be taken care
of so that they could perform at their very
best ability. My job was to keep a record of
the daily maintenance of the horses, and
rotate them through a schedule so that
they all earned breaks throughout the day,
as well as weekly vacations.
I was also a trail guide and would speak to
the customers before they would go out
on the trail to teach them how to properly
ride their horse. I really enjoyed working on the trail barn side of Lawton
because it was fast paced and I got to speak with hundreds of people every
day.
The highlight of my summer was learning how to drive a Clydesdale
horse. A dream of mine has always been to work with the Anheuser
Busch Clydesdales. When I contacted Lawton Stables, I told them about
this passion of mine, and I was so excited to hear that they actually had a
Alison Dittman
Clydesdale on the property. Throughout the
summer, I took care of the barn’s gentle giant,
named Harley. Over the course of the summer,
I learned how to drive Harley with the carriage
and when tourists arrived at Lawton Stables, I
would take them out on an hour-long carriage
rides through the Sea Pines Forest Preserve.
At Tiffin University, I have been taking
the equine classes to receive a major in
Management, with a concentration in
Equine Business Management and a minor in
Hospitality and Tourism. Originally, the classes
were being taught through Guelph University,
but after speaking with Dr. Perry Haan, we
were able to get the classes offered on the
TU campus so that the study could be further
enhanced. Our current professor is a local
veterinarian, Dr. Mike Brothers. Throughout
this new semester, Dr. Brothers has taught us a
lot and is very interesting.
I have already begun to look at new internships
for the summer of 2010. After working at
Lawton Stables, I learned that I would love to work and teach tourists about
the life of horses in their natural environment.
After graduation, I hope to have an opportunity to work in St. Louis with the
Clydesdales. This would involve training young Clydesdales, breeding, or
just taking care of them every day, which is a full-time job. Or maybe I will
return to one of the great locations where I have worked on my internships.
I am excited.
Tiffin University’s Equestrian Team Competitions
THIS YEaR
In September, the Tiffin University equestrian team participated in its
second annual community service project at Garlo Heritage Nature
Preserve. Equestrian team members cleared trails using chainsaws, poles,
saws and clippers. They also checked the seven mile trail for holes and
other hazards.
September 26, 2009 marked the grand opening of the dedicated parking
lot for horse trailers. The ceremony was celebrated by the first annual
Horse Poker Run, with proceeds to benefit Garlo Heritage Nature Preserve
Horse trails and the Tiffin University equestrian team.
Tu plaCES FOuRTH IN FIRST wESTERN
COMpETITION
Ten colleges and universities participated in the first Western Competition
of the season during the fall of 2009, including Ohio State University,
Ohio University, the University of Akron, Lake Erie College, the College
of Wooster, Kent State University, Kenyon University, Denison University
and Oberlin College. Tiffin University tied with the University of Akron for
fourth place in the afternoon’s competition, and placed fourth overall in
the morning competition.
HuNT EquESTRIaN TEaM plaCES THIRD aND
SIxTH IN Fall HuNT COMpETITION
Tiffin University’s hunt equestrian team placed well in the fall 2009 Hunt
Competition, earning both a third- and a sixth-place finished in the twoday
meet. TU competed against Ohio State University, Ohio University,
University of Akron, Lake Erie College, College of Wooster, Kent State
University, Denison University and Oberlin College.
www.tiffin.edu > 9