Extension assessment sparks statewide equine learning initiative
Extension educators are expanding equine workshops across Idaho in response to horse owners’ identified learning needs.
July 14, 2026
MOSCOW, Idaho ― July 17, 2026 — University of Idaho Extension has launched its most comprehensive statewide equine education effort in recent memory, guided by findings from an assessment of horse owners’ knowledge and learning priorities.
UI Extension offices in counties throughout the state emailed the assessment to adult horse owners and enthusiasts. They also promoted it at equine events, posted flyers with QR codes and advertised it on social media. Over four months in 2025, Extension received 140 responses.
Based on knowledge gaps uncovered by the assessment, Extension educators Sawyer Fonnesbeck, Oneida County, and Selena Davila, Lincoln County, created a workshop covering equine first aid, what to include in a first aid kit, biosecurity and basic nutrition. Biosecurity is an especially timely topic, given that several rodeos and horse events were canceled throughout the past year due because of equine herpesvirus concerns.
Fonnesbeck and Davila presented the workshop in Burley and Rexburg in February, with a guest presentation by former Extension educator Brandon Brackenbury, who is a licensed veterinarian. They offered the workshop again in Malad and Shoshone in June. Horse enthusiasts in Butte and Franklin counties have expressed interest in future workshops.
Fonnesbeck and Davila plan to contact northern Idaho counties about offering workshops in the fall, following fair season. They also plan to develop a second workshop focused on dentistry, horse handling and tack fitting.
“When Selena and I got started on this, we asked Extension educators throughout the state, and a lot of them said there may have been a sporadic equine class here and there, but there’s been nothing statewide like what we’re doing in many, many years,” Fonnesbeck said. “We’re seeing some good responses from individuals who have gone to the classes, and we’re excited to keep them going and make them bigger.”
Findings of the assessment were published in the June 2026 edition of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents journal.
The assessment included 25 questions drawn from Extension publications and other reputable resources, covering equine health, nutrition, vaccination, hoof and dental care and safe handling practices. Partial credit was awarded for incorrect answers that demonstrated basic knowledge of the subject matter.
Scores ranged from 30%-32% among new horse owners and parents of children involved in UI Extension 4-H Youth Development equine activities to 51%-56% among those who identified as experienced horse owners. Participants’ greatest knowledge gap were in equine health, nutrition and handling practices — the same topics they most often requested when asked about their educational programming preferences.
“There are a lot of traditions that get passed down, and sometimes those get adjusted and misunderstood over time,” Fonnesbeck said.
Extension educators from other states have also contacted Fonnesbeck and Davila about using their methodology to guide their own surveys. Fonnesbeck and Davila also presented a poster about the assessment and workshops at a national conference.
Media contact
Sawyer Fonnesbeck
University of Idaho Extension educator, Oneida County
208-766-2243
sfonnesbeck@uidaho.edu