Amanda Baxter, who has extensive experience in 4-H horse judging contests and clinics, is joining U of A's Department of Animal Science as an equine instructor and head coach of the ranch horse and equine judging teams.

Baxter is a member of the faculty in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, and will teach undergraduate courses, coordinate student competitive activities for the equine judging and ranch horse teams, and co-manage the resident horse herd and the Dorothy E. King Pavilion.

Baxter joins the U of A after working at Texas A&M University since 2022 as a teaching assistant and assistant coach of the ranch horse team.

"After spending the last two years gaining great experience in teaching and coaching at Texas A&M, I'm excited to continue on my journey to Arkansas," Baxter says. "There is a great department of people who are friendly and ready to support in every way they can, which makes the transition so much easier. I also have a great team of kids who are eager to ride and compete, which will make this year fun and exciting!"

Her duties with the team at Texas A&M included creating lesson plans and executing four practices each week, transporting horses and supervising the team at eight shows/competitions annually, supporting and coaching students for each class, riding and training university-owned horses to be future school horses, encouraging team members to seek rider education outside of practice and guiding weekly meetings.

Academically, she taught Equine Behavior and Training, General Animal Science Lab and Animal Production Systems classes.

"Amanda earned the job amid an extremely strong applicant pool," Mike Looper, head of the Department of Animal Science, says. "When interviewed for the job, Amanda put both the lecture and the horsemanship piece together that was the perfect fit for the position. She brings a lot of experience and a vast network to our growing competitive horse team activities, specifically the ranch horse team. I look forward to working with Amanda."

From 2021-23, Baxter was an Cooperative Extension Service assistant, where duties included working with the Montgomery County 4-H Young Horse Program, coordinating horse judging contests and clinics, speaking at and coordinating the Texas AgriLife Extension Equine Repro Short Course, serving as show manager at the Texas State 4-H Horse Show, instructing the Texas 4-H Equine Ambassador Short Course and instructing at the Texas A&M University Kids Beginnings Camp.

Other experience includes working as a graduate teaching assistant at Texas A&M's Summer Horsemanship School Program, as an operations assistant with Navario Ranch Horse Productions and as an equine assistant intern at TAMU.

Baxter earned her bachelor's degree in animal science with an equine certificate in 2021 and her master's degree in animal science in 2024, both from Texas A&M.

She also has volunteer experience with the San Antonio Livestock Exposition Horse Skillathon Contest, the Texas A&M Horsemen's Association, American Quarter Horse Association Youth World Cup and the National Intercollegiate Ranch and Stock Horse Association.

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About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.