BY TAMMY GANTT 

OCALA, FL—Johnson and Wales University Equine Studies students took part in an Introduction to the Thoroughbred Industry class led by Tammy Gantt on March 3 at the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association offices in Ocala. 

Gantt focused on the large footprint the Thoroughbred industry has in Central Florida and how Marion County became Horse Capital of the World®. She shared with students the economic impact and jobs created by the industry in the county and the state. 

Each year, students from the Providence, R.I., campus take part in the JWU Equine Experience, a domestic study trip that rotates annually between Florida and Kentucky. The 2025 trip included tours of the FTBOA, Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company (OBS), Pleasant Acres Stallions, the Equine Performance Innovative Center (EPIC) and the World Equestrian Center (WEC).

The trip helps students accelerate their learning of the equine industry experience.

The program is led by professor and department chair Jackie Bowser, DVM, who is always looking for new ways to incorporate research into the student experience and build on her significant equine senior scientist role in translational respiratory research. Bowser is board certified in large animal internal medicine and continues to practice veterinary medicine.

In addition to Bowser, Crystal Taylor, a former exercise rider, serves as a full-time faculty member for the equine studies major and coaches the JWU’s intercollegiate dressage team. She has extensive experience with training show horses and other young breeds with an understanding of the racehorse industry. She has been teaching at JWU for the last 17 years.

According to Taylor, the trip engages students creating high expectations that sets them up for success in the equine industry. With more than 40 years of experience in equine education, JWU offers one of the only equine programs in the Northeast.

Return to the March 6 issue of Wire to Wire