Students who love horses will soon have the opportunity to take hands-on veterinary science classes as Eastside Technical Center adds a pre-veterinary and equine component to its agri-science program.

    The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board has approved $50,000 in Fayette County funds for the construction of an equine science facility, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has kicked in another $50,000 in grant money.

   “It seems like we’re in a good spot to give kids a lot of opportunities,” said Carrie Davis, Eastside’s agri-science teacher and FFA adviser, who also cited the generous community support of area vets and farmers.

    Principal Joe Norman said Eastside surveyed teens at all five Fayette County high schools to gauge interest. “We were surprised at the high numbers,” he said. “A third of the students surveyed were interested in taking equine or small-animal studies.”

    For this fall, 60 students are enrolled in Davis’s agri-science class, which also covers horticulture. “We’ve had to turn some away because we don’t have the space to take them all,” Norman said.

    To help meet the demand, Eastside will set up pre-fab stalls, where Davis and students who raise animals will bring their own horses, sheep, goats and cattle for class demonstrations.

    “I would hope at the start of the (2009-2010) school year, we would have our own structure,” she said.

    Fayette County Public Schools has applied for the acquisition of surplus federal land on Leestown Road as a site for the new equine facility, which will include an eight-stall barn.

    The program will expose students to the world of large-animal science, with an emphasis on horses. The curriculum will prepare students who want to major in agriculture in college as well as those who want to jump directly from high school into the equine industry.