Six North Carolina undergraduate students are on their way to becoming equine veterinarians with guaranteed seats at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, thanks to the NC State Equine Scholars Program announced in 2024.

The program, which also has two other students participating as alternates, requires that the students complete applications and meet all College of Veterinary Medicine admissions criteria. All of the students met the September deadline to apply to be admitted next fall in the class of 2030.

The students were chosen after a competitive application process and were required to have demonstrated previous interest in veterinary medicine and the equine industry.

“We need applicants who have been involved in the horse industry because that does really speak to a commitment and a dedication to the field,” says Dr. Katie Sheats, professor of equine medicine and primary care. “Horses are a lifestyle. Students who like that lifestyle are more likely to enjoy being an equine veterinarian.”

The first cohort of Equine Scholars are:

• Nasya Burgess, a student at NC A&T State University in Greensboro
• Ana Church and Savanna Harrison, graduates of St. Andrews University in Laurinburg
• Lexa McDermott, Austen Stinson-Miller and Kathryn Healy, all students at NC State University

Alternates are: 

• Gracie Towles, a student at NC State
• Madison Champagne, a student at the University of Mount Olive in Wayne County

All eight students spent 10 weeks this summer shadowing equine veterinarians across the state, which is a critical part of the program, says Sheats, who also serves as associate dean and director of professional education and admissions.

“We are very excited that Equine Scholars have a paid summer internship experience,” says Sheats, explaining that the money comes from the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine dean and donors. “The students benefit from learning some introductory medicine and technical skills and developing a relationship with a practice mentor, and they get paid to do it. Plus they are that much more prepared for vet school.”

At a recent event on the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine campus, the students gave presentations about their summer experiences and included a case study they found interesting. 

Stinson-Miller worked with three veterinarians at Reagan Equine in Wilmington, North Carolina, assisting with both ambulatory and in-clinic cases. 

“From colics and administering vaccines to lameness workups and gastroscopes, I got to observe and help with a wide range of cases,” he says. “I also participated in contagious case protocols and ran in-house bloodwork, including complete blood counts and chemistry panels.”

Getting to interact with clients and learn how skilled equine veterinarians approach cases from start to finish was incredibly valuable, he says.

“A major highlight was assisting Dr. Ginger Reagan and the emergency rescue firefighters during a call to rescue a horse that was down in the mud in the woods,” he says. “Watching Dr. Reagan lead the team, communicate effectively and keep the horse calm under pressure was truly inspiring.”

The equine industry has a $3.4 billion impact on North Carolina’s economy, according to the NC Horse Council, when combining horse ownership, equine institutions, profit-making organizations and tourism spending by participants and spectators. The state is home to more than 300,000 horses, making it one of the top 10 states in terms of horse population.

Nationwide, fewer than 4% of veterinary students choose equine medicine, which is one reason that NC State created the Equine Scholars Program in partnership with equine advocates and other state universities. 

“We hope with this program to help meet the need for equine primary care veterinarians in North Carolina,” Sheats says. “We have had a pipeline problem in equine medicine and equine primary care, and so we’re trying to ensure that some students in every DVM class have guaranteed interest in equine private practice.”

Modeled after the college’s established Food Animal Scholars initiative, the Equine Scholars Program pairs accepted undergraduate students with veterinary mentors from the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine and from their undergraduate colleges, currently limited to universities with agricultural or equestrian focuses: NC State, North Carolina A&T State University and the University of Mount Olive. St. Andrews University has closed.

The application period for the next class of Equine Scholars will open in mid-October. Find more information here.