Imagine vast, rolling acres of green pasture. The crisp air filled with calm commands of “gallop” and “canter” as equestrians push their horses onward. Though seemingly worlds away from a campus thriving with Wolfline buses and busy students, the tranquil pastures are located off of Avent Ferry Road. In fact, they provide the setting for N.C. State’s own beginning and intermediate equitation physical education courses.

Lynn Smith, along with Sally Almekinders, has been teaching equitation at NCSU for over 20 years. The course has been offered in cooperation with McNair’s Country Acres, Inc. since 1975. The company owns 100 acres of land, which provides space for students in the beginning (PE 254) and intermediate (PE 260) equitation courses.

Each class is limited to 13 students for safety reasons, better allowing for one-on-one attention. Smith said the courses are very popular, despite additional fees, illustrated by the more than 3,000 students who have taken the course.

Smith said McNair’s has the largest 4-H program in Wake county, including 35-40 horses used to teach more than 300 students a week. In addition to providing the horses, the instructional school also provides a staff member to co-teach the PE classes.

In her time at the University, Smith said she has enjoyed sharing her love for riding horses with students of all skill levels. She began riding in the third grade, taking part in competitions and fox hunts.

“I didn’t like to compete much, but I liked to be around it,” Smith said. “I enjoyed being in nature…I just loved getting on my horse and just go[ing].”

Smith said she has also ridden horses in order to maintain their fitness level for their owners. Growing up in Raleigh, she remembers a time when the city was surrounded by open fields. She said where Creedmoor Road and Durant Road are now, there used to be hundreds of acres of farmlands.

Smith said she draws upon these personal experiences while teaching her equitation courses. Her classes meet at a border farm, owned by independent individuals. Smith has a pool of 120 horses that she uses with her students. She matches horses to students based on individual skill levels.

For instance, beginner students are paired with older horses that are better suited for simple, less strenuous tasks. As a student improves and is ready to begin jumping, he or she moves on to a different, younger horse.

However, the relationship between horse and rider is based on more than age and skill.

Aaron Topal, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, said he has learned a great deal about this special interaction through the beginning equitation course.

“Horses are very perceptive to everything about you — how you feel and how you are acting towards them,” Topal said. “If you respect the horse, it will return the respect.” Charles Ipock, a sophomore majoring in professional golf management, is enrolled in the intermediate equitation class, and said he has a substantial amount of riding experience.

While Ipock said he already felt comfortable on a horse, he felt that personal teaching would enhance his skills. “I got a lot better on the technical aspects [of riding]…not only [on being] more comfortable,” he said.

Both students said they look forward to going to equitation. Ipock notes that the class “could be stressful; the teachers make it a lot of fun.”

In addition to “going fast on the horse,” he also enjoys the historical significance of horseback riding and its old-fashioned feel. Topal credits his enjoyment of the class to “just being on the horse,” and said he compares spending time with the horse to “hanging out with a good friend.”

But, Smith said the sport is also very physically demanding. She outlines the crucial elements of strength, endurance, coordination and timing. Riding can be so intensive that Smith says many beginner students find it difficult to ride through an entire class. She says that fatigue and the “fear of working to achieve a common task” are obstacles to effective horseback riding. Smith also highlights the importance of “understanding your own body and position, and utilizing natural, God-given things to coordinate with the animal.”

Smith said she has been able to witness this unique experience in new and interesting ways. She remembers the variety of students who have either had a lifetime dream to ride, or simply want to overcome a fear.

In her years of teaching the course, Smith said she has had the privilege of working with students from diverse backgrounds, each hoping to gain something different from the course. She has taught students in the vet school who want to gain a higher level of comfort with horses, as well as blind and deaf students. Smith even taught a student who had ridden in the Olympics.

For now, Smith teaches her physical education classes at their early-morning times.

Topal said despite the early mornings, “[the class] is completely worth the time and money.”