His is a household name: Mr. W. K. Kellogg, the man who put Cornflakes and other breakfast cereals on tables around the world. Mr. Kellogg had a love not only for business, but for Arabian horses, too. Arabians can be traced to Mohammed's time. Because they have lived so long with man, they are easier to train than most other horses. Even though smaller than many other breeds, Arabians can pull and carry heavier loads for longer distances than other horses in their height and weight range. This is an animal of versatile talents, ideal for work or show. In the 1920s, Mr. Kellogg built a ranch for his growing herd in the Southern California town of Pomona. The ranch opened to the public in 1926 and was an instant success. Among the regulars were cinematic heartthrob Rudolph Valentino and silver screen legends Gary Cooper and Clara Bow. Kellogg's Arabians not only starred in the ranch's equestrian events, but in the movies as well. The 1927 production of The Texas Steer featured the Kellogg Arabian "Letan" who played opposite the movie's human star, Will Rogers. Mr. Kellogg believed that "education offers the greatest opportunity for really improving one generation over another" and in 1949 he gave his Arabian horse ranch to the State of California for the Cal Poly Pomona Campus. The Equine Research Center CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA The Equine Research Center (ERC) is located next to the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center at Cal Poly University in Pomona. Dedicated in 1980, the ERC offers both undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to study horse health and function, reproductive physiology, exercise physiology, energetics and kinematics of locomotion, animal behavior, parasitology and immunology. Just like many of their human counterparts, the day at ERC begins for some horses on a high-speed treadmill. The horse will reach a top speed of 13 ½ miles per hour, and a maximum heart rate of 250-260 beats per minute. It's all part of a study to measure locomotion and energy consumption in horses, says veterinarian Dr. Steven Wickler. In the spirit of Mr. Kellogg, the main purpose of the Equine Research Center is education - to educate not only students, but also the general public about the horse industry in California. Many of the ERC's students go on to veterinary school, to work with all sorts of farm animals, including horses. The curriculum is hands-on, covering everything from shoeing horses to collecting semen for breeding programs. Dr. Calvin Kobluk, Director of Equine Sciences, says the procedure is fairly violent. An excited stallion doesn't have his mind on the human handler, so the handler must be extra careful to avoid being injured. One small semen sample can impregnate some 20 mares. Once pregnant, a mare will undergo ultrasound to determine the position and health of the fetus. The gestation period for a horse is eleven months. In addition to research projects, Cal Poly Pomona also offers a rodeo-training program. The University has a complete rodeo arena including bronc and riding chutes. For six decades, Cal Poly Pomona has put on impressive Arabian Horse Shows for the public. They take place on the first Sunday of each month (throughout the school year) at the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center. The cost is minimal. For more information, or to find out more about the Equine Research Center, future rodeo events, and other horse-related activities and programs, contact Dr. Calvin Kobluk at (909) 869-2224 or by fax at (909) 869-4856. His Internet address is CNKOBLUK@csupomona.edu. By the way, Cal Poly Pomona, being an important ag school, is well named. That's because "Pomona" was the Roman goddess presiding over fruit trees. Her symbol is the pruning knife. If you have questions or comments about this story, please E-mail Senior Producer Corita Gravitt at corita.gravitt@mailexcite.com.