HASTINGS -- Ridin' and ropin' are part of the curriculum for one J-term class at Hastings College.

Cowboy University, taught by biology professor John Kuehn, is the name of the class that helped about 14 students learn all about horses, from their history and uses to their biology and equipment. They also got to apply the lessons to actual animals when the students got on real horses last week.

"It teaches the physiology and biomechanics in an applied setting so we give them something to do in terms of riding a horse and observing rodeo," Kuehn said, adding that he hopes the students will get an appreciation for horses.

Shelby Sandford, a sophomore from O'Neill, chose the class because "it looked like it would be ridiculously fun and so far it's proven to be true."

Although she and others in the class said it has been a lot of fun, they have learned a lot as well, even those who have been riding since they were toddlers.

Kuehn, who grew up riding his family's horses, said he felt most people who grow up in Nebraska, whether they come from a farming and ranching background or not, have a fascination with horses and that led many of his students to the class.

"The (riding) was definitely part of the draw," he said. "If I were to just say we were going to have an anatomy or biology course, I doubt as many would have been interested."

The class started Jan. 3 with the other J-term classes, the classes at Hastings College between first and second semester. In the first few weeks of class, students watched a documentary on Mongolian horse racing, learned about the different breeds of horses, studied the biology names for the parts of a horse as well as the proper names for parts of the saddle.

"The first couple days of class we went over basic horsemanship," Sandford said. "We looked at some different areas of horses, different ways people train in different countries and the different ways they use horses."

Holly Bishop, a senior from Beatrice, said learning that first helped the class understand horses better before climbing on the back of one.

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Cowboy University teaches history, biology and riding skills