Interview with Dr. Ann Swinker, PhD

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Ann Swinker, PhD about her experiences in the horse industry as an academic researcher, state extension horse specialist and professor of equine science. She has also been involved in breeding, training, marketing, importing and showing horses. 

In this interview, Dr. Swinker talks several topics of interest inlcluding: horse nutrition, importance of getting feed analyzed, environmental stewardship, selenium toxicity and deficiency in horses, laminitis, micro-chipping horses and other research projects that she has been involved in. 

Dr. Swinker holds a Masters degree in Animal Science from Penn State and a PhD in Agricultural Sciences from West Virginia University.

She has served as the Extension Horse Specialist at Colorado State University and a professor of Equine Science. She most recently has been the Extension Horse Specialist and Associate Professor of Equine Sciences at Penn State University. At Penn State she was involved in the development of a number of major programs on behalf of their Extension Programs.  Most notably the “Equine Environmental Stewardship Program,” which has been recognized as one of the top programs in the nation, of which she is co-founder and chair.

Dr. Swinker was named “Horse Person of the Year in 2001 by the Colorado Equine Council. She was awarded the American Horse Council Marjorie Van Ness Award in 2016 for her leadership and service to the horse community.

She has served on several research committees and has authored several refereed papers, abstracts/proceedings, and popular press articles.

Though she retired from teaching at Penn State University in 2017, she remains dedicated to horse care and education as she continues to conduct workshops, presentations and clinics each year. She and her husband own and breed Arabian, Trakehner Horses and raise Hereford cattle in Pennsylvania.

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