A new partnership between UVM Horse Barn Co-op students and Burlington’s Sustainability Academy is giving third, fourth and fifth graders a unique way to build literacy skills—by reading to horses.

During the fall and spring semesters this school year, a small group of elementary school students has been visiting UVM as part of a new service-learning program that blends equine education with elementary students’ reading skills and UVM undergraduates’ mentoring skills. 

The initiative pairs each child with both a horse and with an undergraduate member of the UVM Horse Barn Co-op. The participating UVM students are all experienced and enthusiastic equestrians.  Some are members of the UVM Horse Barn Co-op, where they board their own horses while in college, others are Dressage Team Captains, and some are Equus Advisors. Each undergraduate student works one-on-one with their elementary-school partner to create a calm, supportive environment in which bonding with the horse occurs at the child’s own pace. 

A child laughs in glee as a horse leans into him.

Each visit begins with the students eating their lunch in the tack room of the Ellen A. Hardacre Equine Center. The room is ringed with items such as bridles and saddles, and the students ask a multitude of excited questions as they look around the room at the gear.  Next, the students move on to hands-on equine interaction.  They begin by offering the horses hay and treats, then learn horse grooming while getting tips from their student mentor and gaining comfort and familiarity with their horses.  After they’ve become acquainted with their horse, the students choose a few picture books and settle in to read aloud to the horse.

“The horses listen without judgment,” said one of the teacher chaperones. “For kids who may feel nervous reading in front of classmates, it can be incredibly empowering.”

Two fourth graders rub the nose of a horse as a UVM mentor assists.
Two Sustainability Academy students groom a horse while their mentor, UVM undergraduate Noor Jareth, offers tips.

Chrissy Rohan, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Animal and Veterinary Science and Faculty Advisor to the student-run Horse Barn Co-op, said she was inspired to start her program by Saddle Up and Read, a nationally recognized literacy initiative founded by Caitlin Gooch that promotes confidence and academic growth through equine-assisted reading. Like its inspiration, the UVM-based program focuses on relationship-building. Connections are fostered and there is lots of laughter between the UVM student mentors and the elementary schoolers who are definitely outside their usual comfort zone with these large, interactive animals.

Both age groups have embraced the experience. UVM students gain valuable mentoring experience while sharing their enthusiasm for horses, and the younger students gain confidence in reading, while also forming a positive connection with a college student and a special horse.

A mentor and a fourth-grader laugh as they feed a horse hay
UVM undergrad Lily Wyatt instructs her fourth-grade mentee how to safely give a horse a treat.

Educators say the structure of the day helps the students feel relaxed and ready to learn. “It’s not just about reading,” one UVM student mentor shared. “It’s about creating a moment where kids feel supported, and excited to experience something entirely new.”

Rohan sees outreach to the community as a unique opportunity, which is made possible by having horses on the UVM campus. The Horse Barn Co-op hosts other community events, such as its Halloween event, where the horses are dressed in costumes and kids can trick-or-treat from the stalls.  There are also Dressage Shows and Equestrian Team events that are free and open to the public. 

She feels that this year’s pilot program has been an enormous success, with all the participants enjoying it and all gaining from the experience.  She hopes this program will continue to grow in future semesters. 

fourth-grader student and mentor read to a mini horse
Rowan Yuan, a UVM Horse Barn Co-op member, talks to her mentee about the book he read aloud to his horse.

As one fourth-grader participant summed it up, “This is my dream. I would love to someday own a horse. The horses are amazing.”  When asked if she thought the horses were interested in what she was reading she said “No, probably they just liked the hay and the treats, but it didn’t matter because I liked reading to them.”

undergraduate student mentors two students in the horse barn
UVM student Hannah Marsh answers her fourth-grade mentees' questions about their horse.

For the school children, these visits to the UVM Horse Barn Co-op offer more than just a lesson—they offer confidence, curiosity, and a memorable connection that may help shape their love of reading for years to come.