Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills offers a public-college equine program, run from its own Equestrian Center in the San Fernando Valley. This guide is for prospective students. It summarizes what the college's own pages say about the Associate of Science and the Certificate of Achievement in Equine Science, and it lists what to confirm with the college before you enroll. Rancho LA Guide is not affiliated with Pierce College, and programs and schedules change, so treat the college's current catalog as the final word.
Table of Contents
- What Pierce offers
- The Certificate of Achievement: required courses
- Career paths and pay
- Where classes happen
- What to confirm before you enroll
- Other ways to learn around horses in LA County
What Pierce offers
Pierce's 2026–2027 catalog lists Equine Science among its Agriculture programs with both an Associate of Science degree and a Certificate of Achievement, and the college's program pages describe the two awards:
- Associate of Science (A.S.). The college's program map describes a two-year program in Horse Science with coursework and hands-on experience for students who want to work in the horse industry. It names stable and ranch management, horse training, veterinary assisting, riding instruction and event management as possible paths. Instruction covers horse husbandry, handling, riding and training, plus event planning, business operations and facility management and maintenance.
- Certificate of Achievement. The college's Equine Science certificate page lists a core of eight required courses plus electives. The college describes the certificate as a 29-unit program, but its requirements also list a total of 28 to 34 units, and it says completion can lead to entry-level work in stable and ranch management, horse training, veterinary assisting, riding instruction, horse care and grooming, event management and horse-industry retail sales. Confirm the applicable total and elective requirements with the department before enrolling.
Pierce also lists the program under its Agriculture & Natural Resources pathways, and a pre-veterinary track is administered through the same department. Pierce's schedule and catalog page is where current requirements are published.
The Certificate of Achievement: required courses
According to the certificate page, the required core is 16 units:
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANML SC 601 | Horse Production | 3 |
| ANML SC 602 | Horse Husbandry | 3 |
| ANML SC 603A | Equine Management Techniques | 2 |
| ANML SC 603B | Equine Management Techniques | 2 |
| ANML SC 620 | Basic Equitation | 1 |
| ANML SC 621 | Horseback Riding Laboratory | 1 |
| ANML SC 630 | Beginning Equine Training | 2 |
| ANML SC 650 | Equine Health and First Aid | 2 |
The rest of the units come from three elective groups:
- Group 1, horse science (select two courses): options include Equine Facility Management, Horse Show Activities, intermediate and advanced riding laboratories, Advanced Equine Training, Horseshow Organization and Management, additional Equine Management Techniques sections, and directed-study or agricultural enterprise project units.
- Group 2, enterprise and industry (select one course): business options such as Introduction to Business, Small Business Entrepreneurship, Principles of Selling and several business-office computer courses.
- Group 3, additional electives (select eight units): courses such as Principles of Animal Science, Animal Nutrition, Animal Health and Disease Control, Anatomy and Physiology of Animals, public speaking and other communication courses, photography, Introduction to Soil Science and Spanish.
The college's certificate page lists four program learning outcomes: providing horses with the care and feeding recommended by experts, working with horses safely on the ground and under saddle, maintaining equestrian facilities to industry standards, and using current best practices in the operation of a horse-industry business. Which electives actually run in a given term is a question for the department.
Career paths and pay
The program map reports a salary range of $34,000 to $143,000, an average of $75,000, and projected national job growth of 4.3 percent from 2022 to 2032. However, it does not identify the occupations behind these figures or explain how the average was calculated, so they should not be treated as a reliable estimate of earnings or job prospects for Equine Science graduates. Entry-level horse-industry work, such as barn management, training assistance and riding instruction, can pay substantially less than the average. Actual earnings depend on the occupation, experience, location and whether someone works for an employer or runs a business.
Where classes happen
Hands-on courses use Pierce's Equestrian Center at 6201 Winnetka Ave, which also appears in our Woodland Hills listings. The center hosts public events as well. A 2025 student-newspaper photo essay shows equine science and veterinary technology students working with the horses at a campus de-stress event, and the college has previously held a free "Parade of Breeds" exhibition there.
What to confirm before you enroll
Course schedules, horse availability and program details can change from term to term, so a prospective student should ask the department directly:
- Which required courses are scheduled in the next two to four terms? Ask for a realistic completion timeline, not the catalog's two-year version.
- Are riding and training courses running with enough horses? Ask how many horses the program has now and how that is secured.
- Is the A.S. degree and the certificate still open to new students? Confirm the current catalog year that applies to you.
- What are the transfer options? If you want a bachelor's degree, ask which universities accept the coursework and which courses transfer.
- What does it cost? Ask about enrollment fees, course fees, required equipment and any riding requirements.
- Can you visit? Seeing the Equestrian Center and speaking with the department chair or program director tells you more than any brochure. The certificate page lists the department's phone number, (818) 710-4250.
Other ways to learn around horses in LA County
If Pierce's schedule does not fit, our directory lists local trainers and instructors, boarding barns and equine veterinarians, where working with experienced professionals can be an alternative or an addition to coursework. Cal Poly Pomona also runs the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center, a university facility with about 100 purebred Arabians used for teaching, research and breeding.
Rancho LA Guide does not rank or endorse schools or programs. This article is general information, not academic or career advice. Programs, requirements and costs change, so confirm everything with Los Angeles Pierce College.