The degree program, offered under SUU's Department of Agriculture and Nutrition Science, caters to increased interest nationwide in the horse industry.

The program began spring semester, and 10 students have formally declared intentions to pursue the degree, said Jennifer Burt, SUU spokeswoman. Another 70 students are enrolled in horsemanship classes at the school.

Covering everything from horsemanship - the riding and training of horses - to horse husbandry, and with a focus on horse and animal science, SUU's equine studies program is the only such degree offered in Utah or Nevada, said Lee Wood, the program's director. It therefore is the only opportunity Utah students have to become degree-certified to work with horses, he said.

While only an associate's degree is now offered, Wood believes the program's initial success eventually will lead to the offering of a bachelor's degree in equine studies. Currently, SUU students who wish to complete the program but who are interested in a four-year degree can earn a bachelor's in agriculture with an equine studies emphasis.

That what Danielle Manis did. She'll graduate in May with her bachelor's degree but also will be SUU's first equine studies graduate.

"I was ecstatic when I learned the program had been approved," said Manis, from Salt Lake City. "It's exactly what I have always wanted."

She hopes to pursue a career as a university extension agent.