TCTC Equestrian Center

Located at the Trumbull Career & Technical Center in Champion Township near Warren, Ohio, the new Equestrian Center creates a purpose-built learning environment for one of the region’s most distinctive career-technical education programs. Phillips Sekanick Architects served as criteria architect and project administrator, helping establish the design and performance requirements for the approximately 7,771-square-foot, $2.2 million facility. The new building replaced an aging barn that lacked classroom space, heat, restrooms, and many of the amenities needed for contemporary instruction and animal care.

The Equestrian Center includes 12 horse stalls, classroom and office space, heated restrooms, tack and feed areas, laundry and storage, and indoor and outdoor horse washing and grooming stations. Direct connections to the indoor riding arena allow students and horses to move efficiently between instructional, stable, grooming, and riding areas. Improved HVAC, hot and cold water, accessibility, exterior lighting, and larger stall windows create a better environment for students and animals.

A central design goal was to increase instructional efficiency. The previous arrangement required students to travel between classrooms in the main TCTC building and the separate barn. By bringing classrooms, offices, stalls, support spaces, and the riding arena together, the new facility reduces lost instructional time. TCTC Program Supervisor Anina Karlovic summarized the concept simply: “Everything will be under one roof.”

The project supports TCTC’s Equine Studies program, the only high-school program of its kind in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, preparing students for careers in equine healthcare, veterinary medicine, horse training, therapeutic horsemanship, farm management, and related fields.

The TCTC Equestrian Center demonstrates Phillips Sekanick Architects’ experience in educational architecture, career-technical facilities, equestrian design, specialized learning environments, animal-care facilities, accessible design, and project administration, creating a safer and more efficient setting for hands-on education.