After completing his first full year of instruction at Pierce College, veterinary professor Kevin Connolly is enthusiastic for the new students at the Equine Center to share his passion for horses. They are younger than he was when he started getting into caring for these majestic animals.
“I rode a little bit when I was a kid at my uncle’s breeding farm and stopped throughout my time in high school and college,” Connolly said. “When I decided to go to vet school, I wasn’t thinking of horses at first.”
Connolly completed his residency as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in 2019. Before that, he also worked as an instructor of biochemistry at UCLA from 2009 to 2011.
As for his hobby of horseback riding, it’s taken a back seat.
“Since I’m so busy with school, I haven’t had time to go on any trails in Los Angeles,” Connolly said. “Hopefully at one point when everything gets settled.”
But it’s a great feeling for him to meet students and see returning faces.
Paulina Chairez is a third-year student studying for her Associate’s in Equine Science, and it’ll be the fourth time she has taken Connolly’s course.
“The Pierce Equine Management class counts as full credit if you do four separate units,” Chairez said. “But I always come back because it’s great for the resume.”
Connolly said horses in farm life and agriculture production serve multiple roles or jobs, and they require constant care and health checks.
“Not only do we have to preserve their health, but we have to make sure they can function on whatever they’re bred to do,” Connolly said.
Classes involve one lecture per week and students returning to feed the horses in the yard and stables. The horses are groomed once a week and checked for illnesses or injured hooves. Connolly also teaches students about facility care with vaccinations and teeth.
Pre-vet student Jesenia Alvaiedo finds Connolly approachable and reliable.
“He can explain everything in detail and demonstrate,” Alvaiedo said. “He’s always there if you need anything.”
Connolly believes the horses are under-appreciated for their personalities.
They continue to fascinate him to this day.
“They can play off people’s facial expressions to understand how they feel,” Connolly said. “That’s why you see great effort to use them for therapy.”