The following are the guidelines that the current UVM Horse Barn Cooperative members uses to determine the acceptance of students and horses into the UVM Horse Barn Cooperative:

• A completed checklist found on the last page of the application to the horse barn (recommendations, pictures, proof of rabies, flu/rhino vaccines and negative Coggins, written essay, optional-short video)
• Past horse experience
• Demonstration of the ability to work well with others, cooperate, and provide positive group interaction skills
• Demonstration of reliability, responsibility, maturity, and a positive attitude
• Adequate availability required (weekends, nights, and school breaks)
• Availability is determined by academic major and work schedules
• Our general rule is that as a UVM student your first priority is academic schedules and requirements, and of course, family responsibilities and emergencies will always have precedence over barn obligations.  When it comes to the second priority, work schedules will not be accepted as an excuse to miss pre-planned barn activities and meetings.
• A safe horse in all respects (please refer to the questions on the application).  We are looking for horses that anyone can work with regardless of their horse experience and that will be safe and sane with all visitors and situations.
• We realize that no horse or human is perfect; we are just looking to find the safest and most responsible pair that will fit into our horse barn community.

Members of the UVM Horse Barn are expected to do the following:

• Take complete care of their horses (i.e. muck out stalls, set up grain, and clean and refill water buckets) daily, or find a responsible person to do it when they are unable to come to the barn. (Morning feeder is provided.)
• Do general barn chores, which are shared on a rotating basis.  These chores include turning out the horses, sweeping the aisles, throwing hay, filling water, cleaning the tack room and bathroom, and bringing in and feeding the horses.
• Sign up for a minimum of two horse watch shifts per week.
• Attend all barn meetings on Monday evenings starting at 5:00pm. Work is not an acceptable excuse for missing barn meetings.
• Participate and attend to barn events during the fall and spring semesters. There are usually one to two events each semester, and they are almost always on the weekends.
• Sign up for "night check" every week with a partner.
• Sign up for weekend shifts throughout the semester.  Weekend watches consist of 1-4 hour blocks of horse watch on either Saturday or Sunday.
• Sign up to cover "vacation watches" during school vacations, including Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks.
• Sign up for ASCI 021, “Horse Barn Co-operative” for each semester in the barn.
• Have fun and enjoy your fellow barn members and horses!

• All barn members are expected to clean their stalls, set up their horse's feed, and change their water every day.  If you do not ride, expect to spend about one hour a day here (not including horse watch or other responsibilities).  If you do ride, expect to spend about two to three hours at the barn.
• In addition to regular chores, a barn member is responsible for two horse watch shifts every week. Horse watch hours are between 8am and 5pm Monday through Friday. Chores include turning out and bringing in horses, cleaning the barn, providing water, and observing the horses. Members are also responsible for weekend duties, which include several four-hour horse watch shifts every semester and two one-hour turnout or bring-in shifts every semester. *shift numbers may vary 
• A member of the Horse Barn Executive Committee feeds every morning between 7 and 8am. Barn members on the "Bring in" horse watch hour will feed in the late afternoon. 
• Every night, two members come to the barn between the hours of 9 and 11pm to give the horses hay and fresh water. Each pair chooses a night of the week to do night check. This takes about a half hour.
• There are several barn events during the academic year, including Homecoming Weekend, Halloween Barn, and a Spring Events (March/April). These events are organized by barn members and are mandatory for all members.

"I am a freshman at the University of Vermont, and I am an Animal and Veterinary Sciences student focusing on Pre-veterinary Medicine.  I am taking 18 credits right now during my second semester here.  These credits include general chemistry with a lab, pre-calculus, English, psychology 001, and my college's information technology course. I'm also registered for one credit of Horse Barn Cooperative. Oh did I mention that I have a horse in the barn? So as a pre-vet freshman, I have learned time management. Usually, I have to plan my time very wisely at the barn. I have planned my horse watch to be in one three-hour block so I only have it once a week, and I have a few days a week planned that I have time to ride. On days that I do not have a lot of time, I come to the barn, do my stall, clean my water buckets, and fill my grain buckets. I then make sure that all my chores are done for the day before I go in the tack room to get ready to go to class or back to the dorm. I usually chat for a minute or two with my friends, and then its off I go. When I get to ride, I try to do all my chores first so they are out of the way. If I am around at 4 p.m., I try to help out with bring in and feeding. I have to admit that it’s a huge time commitment to have my horse here, more so than I expected, but it is completely worth it."

The UVM Horse Barn, CREAM Barn and the UVM Barns all embody the Paul R. Miller Research and Educational Center (MREC).  Some Animal and Veterinary Sciences classes and labs are held in the classroom at the barn.  Everyone will be expected to behave in an appropriate manner consistent with an educational facility. 

Please note that the Paul R. Miller Research and Educational Center (MREC) is open to the public 10:00am-4:00pm daily. 

The Ellen A. Hardacre Equine Center (A.K.A. UVM Horse Barn Cooperative) is a wonderful facility for barn members to enjoy.  It consists of the following:

• Twenty-two 10’ x 12’ horse stalls
• Heated tack room with built in tack boxes, a microwave, a refrigerator, hot and cold water, wireless access, and a stereo system set up for the entire barn and arena
• Overhead hayloft for storage of tack trunks and extra blankets
• Wash stall with hot and cold water
• Heated utility room
• Grain room
• 72’ x 168’ indoor arena with rubber and sand footing

The outdoor facility includes the following:

• 100’ x 200’ PVC fenced outdoor sand arena
• White rope electric fence for pasture and paddocks for turnout

Paul Miller Research Complex Map

Street Address:

500 Spear Street
South Burlington, VT 05403

Directions:

From I-89/Williston Road:  Take Exit 14W into Burlington. Head west on Williston Road; merge into right-most lane to take jughandle exit to Spear Street. Head south on Spear Street past athletics complexes and fields; research complex will be about one-quarter mile on your left.

Hours:

10:00am-4:00pm open 7 days a week, tours on weekdays preferred  

For more information contact:

horsebarn@uvm.edu