Not necessarily.

A teacher who just celebrated 40 years at the same school can honestly say there's been no reason to keep up with the times.

"Have I learned new tricks yes, but basically teaching a person to ride a horse hasn't changed, " equestrian professor Gayle Lampe said. "It's been a wonderful 40 years here."

They watch and they listen at William Woods University.

"We all love her she's great enthusiastic wonderful teacher she teaches me to my full potential I learn from her everything, " William Woods freshman Miranda Weber said.

Miranda Weber is a freshman from Aurora, Wisconsin. She came to William Woods because of the horse program.

"The administration realizes that they're nice and helpful we're kind of an expensive department to run and they're good to us because they know many of these students wouldn't be here if it weren't for the equestrian program, " Lampe said.

Kelly Nadler from Foley, Missouri also attended William Woods for the equestrian program. She graduates Saturday.

"I'm looking at jobs in Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina," said Nadler.

She's looking for horse jobs of course. The riders and horses feed off each other..

"It's kind of like combining the passion you love to do and working in that industry" said Nadler.

Once in the saddle, always in the saddle.

Chris Hostetter graduates this weekend. He too came to William Woods to ride horses like Desi.

"First thing I ever showed was a pony that got me hooked I like going fast, I moved up to three gaited five gaited I enjoy the work that goes with it," William Woods 2008 graduate Chris Hostetter said.

Chris will work as a breeding and barn manager in Kentucky. Gayle graduated from Stephens.

When asked about the competition between the two schools, she says they're not competing against each other, but competing against the rest of the world when they send riders to prestigious shows like the American Royal in Kansas City.

"I can put a horse out here on Monday it has a different rider on Tuesday a different rider on Wednesday and the horse looks different each day the rider can make a difference a great horse can make an average rider look like a great rider because that horse does it all naturally and the rider doesn't have to do anything to make that horse looks good," said Lampe.

Lampe says her best riders are the students who show up each day, the ones who begged their parents to buy a horse.

"Yes, buy them a horse. It keeps them off the streets, out of the malls;If you really love a horse and care for it you're spending so much time grooming that horse etc. You don't have time to do that other bad stuff that kids do these days," said Lampe.