"While all of our faculty train and inspire University of Vermont students, few also train 1,000-pound animals!" Tom Vogelmann began, describing the 29th recipient of the Joseph E. Carrigan Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. The Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences spoke to an audience of students, their families, CALS faculty and staff at Benedict Auditorium Honors Day ceremonies on April 16. "Betsy Greene prepares tomorrow's veterinarians, leaders in agriculture and equine trainers and managers. And she models all aspects of caring for horses, from health and nutrition to behavior and showmanship," Vogelmann said, presenting the award to her. Among Greene's accomplishments, Vogelmann cited her role as a founder an continued leader Everything Equine, a gathering of all things pertaining to horse culture. In its seventh year, Everything Equine draws 7,000 enthusiasts and has grown to be one of the largest equine events in the Northeast. Greene includes UVM students to give them experience in event planning, delivering speeches and networking with industry leaders. Because she is both a CALS associate professor and UVM Extension equine specialist, her range of teaching spans not only undergraduates and graduates, but also a range of people — from small-town Vermonters to nationwide online communities. For example, she created information for the equine industry through the national eXtension website HorseQuest and is publishing the results of that success widely. Greene was honored with two national awards for her contributions to HorseQuest from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. Among other awards, in 2005, she received the Sister Elizabeth Candon Distinguished Service Award and in 2004, she was honored as Vermont Horseperson of the Year. Her colleague Pat Erickson, supporting her nomination for this award, wrote, "she is known for her strong work ethic, tireless effort and 'we-can-do-this' attitude. She lives and breathes her dedication to her students, her College and to the equine industry. Janet Schwartz a UVM staffer, who has boarded her horse at UVM and taken an equine course from Greene summed it up: Whether asking tough questions to bring a senior thesis to peer-review journal quality, choreographing horse and rider routines for the UVM drill team, schlepping hay and water in the UVM Cooperative Horse Barn or carefully counseling a friend about medical options for an injured horse, "Betsy Greene is an outstanding teacher, superb advisor, tremendous role model and an asset to the UVM animal science program and to Vermont's equine community." CAPTION: Betsy Greene. ~Cheryl Dorschner photo.