More than 2,000 students, representing 13 different countries, are now enrolled in a HorseCoursesOnline.com equine studies degree or certification course.

The innovative program, launched in 2003, features an accredited Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies degree from Breyer State University and Professional Horse Trainer and Riding Instructor Certification by the Equine Studies Institute. Additionally, HorseCoursesOnline.com provides curriculum for seven other community and vocational colleges in the US and Canada. With more than 2,000 students, the equine studies program is now the world’s largest.

?The phenomenal growth of our program is testimony to the fact horse lovers worldwide know their increased knowledge leads to happier, healthier, better trained horses,? said Don Blazer, president of HorseCoursesOnline.com. ?And for those seeking horse industry careers, credentials in the form of a degree or certification is mandatory today.?

Three things?faculty, affordability and convenience?provide the opportunity for students to achieve an equine studies education that was impossible before the Internet, Blazer notes.

?Our faculty is unmatched by any program in the nation,? Blazer said. ?Each member is an award winner with a proven record of success in the field he or she teaches. Our instructors reside in eight different states, yet are available to students any time, anywhere in the world, working with each student one-on-one by e-mail.?

Blazer noted that last year, according to the Sloan Consortium, 3.2 million students were active in an online educational program, up from 2.1 million just two years before. According to the Sloan report, within another five years nearly every American college will have some type of distant learning.

Earning an accredited Equine Studies degree through HorseCoursesOnline.com costs less than $6,500 including books, Blazer said. ?That compares with an average of nearly $85,000 cost over four years in a traditional university equine science degree program.?

?Our students do not leave college with the burden of debt,? Blazer said, pointing out the average student loan debt is more than $19,000.

The Internet makes education convenient instead of another stress-induced event jammed into too little time.

?Students can start a course whenever they choose, study when convenient for them, and there are no completion deadlines or lock outs.

?We don?t cram information into a 16-week semester,? Blazer said. ?We help the student master the subject, allowing for the interruptions of life. And we understand that horses cannot be forced into learning a new exercise or skill in one class period.? HorseCoursesOnline.com offers

17-equine study courses covering everything from the training of horses to the legal aspects of horse businesses.

Half of our graduates have had jobs promised to them before they completed their final courses, and half of our graduates have chosen to open their own businesses, Blazer reported.