Whether pulling a wagon or a plow, early agriculture was structured around the horse, and draft horses are an important part of OSU’s heritage. The horse barn, or college barn, was constructed in 1902 to house 40 to 50 draft horses. In the ’20s and ’30s, Oklahoma A&M College had some of the best draft horses in the country with several studs and mares imported from Europe, both Belgian and Percheron breeds. (pictured: OAMC’s Grand Champion Belgian Stallion - 1938). The barn burned down in 1922 but a new one was built in 1926 that lasted until the 1970s. The draft horses were phased out in the 1940s due to advances in technology, but new ways were found to keep an equine program on campus.
