MU grad selected for prestigious equine internship

COLUMBIA, Mo.– Like many little girls, Hannah Buzan had begged her parents for a pony.

Though she had to wait until college to work with horses, Buzan has certainly made up for lost time. A 2013 graduate of the University of Missouri animal sciences program, she was recently selected from among 300 applicants for a prestigious yearlong equine breeding internship at Colorado State University.

“We are very proud of Hannah. She has done a great job throughout our program,” says Marci Crosby, coordinator of the Equine Science program in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. “For her to come in and go from ground one to actually managing our facility in four years and teaching her peers is remarkable and has probably uniquely qualified her for this internship.”

Buzan, of Decatur, Ill., is excited about the internship and learning more about assisted reproductive technologies such as embryo transfer and artificial insemination, and to continue building on the experience she gained at MU.

“It is a huge honor to be selected from that many applicants,” Buzan says. “I’ve learned a lot in the past four years, but there is always more you can learn and I look forward to gaining the additional experience.”

During the internship, Buzan will also teach undergraduate students, helping with the foaling class and mare watch, and work with clients who have brought horses to the veterinary hospital for reproductive treatment.

Crosby says the internship is a wonderful opportunity for Buzan to learn more about breeding management. She says the interns are highly sought-after and receive great job offers.

“But I’m on the fence about if I want to seek a job or if I want to continue my education,” Buzan says. “Marci has been my idol for the past four years and I would like to be what she is to other students by going to graduate school and teaching others about horses.”