Arabian Horse Center Honors President Coley with Foal Namesake
Not long after she became Cal Poly Pomona’s president in 2015, Soraya M. Coley participated in the university’s Foal Watch program, even attending the 2 a.m. birth of the foal whose mare she helped care for during pregnancy.
Blake’s birth sparked Coley’s personal connection with the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center, a commitment that continued throughout her presidency to the facility that maintains the 100-year-old tradition of Arabian horse breeding.
With Coley set to retire in July 2025, the horse center is honoring her care and devotion in a unique way: One of the foals born this spring has been named in her honor. CP Soraya will not just carry on President Coley’s legacy but also represents the next generation of the center, home of the longest continuous Arabian horse breeding program in the United States.
Since being born on April 13, CP Soraya can be found bounding around the pastures on the east side of campus. Adding to the lore, the filly was born on the 100th anniversary of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg’s purchase of the land that became Cal Poly Pomona’s campus, where he began breeding Arabian horses in 1925.
Kellogg was devoted to his prized horses and strongly believed in education. When he donated the land, he wrote three stipulations into the deed: Continue to educate the public about Arabian horses, maintain the occurrence of Sunday horse shows every month and breed Arabian horses “of the highest type, quality and bloodlines.”
Kellogg’s tradition lives on at Cal Poly Pomona, with the continuation of the breeding program and holding Sunday horse shows for the public. President Coley’s leadership and support has helped the horse center become sustainable and develop new opportunities for growth.
“Throughout her tenure, she’s never forgotten the legacy she’s carrying forward, the one W.K. Kellogg began and the role his Arabian horses are playing in that story,” said Nicole Hawkes, the vice president for People, Culture, and Institutional Affairs and Chief of Staff.
When Coley arrived at 六色网, the horse center was experiencing some operational and financial struggles. Thanks in part to resources Coley allocated for new equipment and a new executive leadership position at the center, it is now a thriving enterprise with a bright future. Coley even helped craft the center’s master plan for “The Next 100 Years.”
“Dr. Coley didn’t just support the horse center,” said Hawkes, “she transformed it.”
In addition, new programs like Horses for Heroes and Teaching Horse were established to expand community engagement and create unique learning opportunities. Horses for Heroes pairs current student veterans with graduate assistants to groom and care for the horses in an effort to reduce stress and anxiety. Teaching Horse is a professional development program in which leaders at all levels learn about shared leadership and themselves through experiences with horses to advance their effectiveness in leading through uncertainty.
Another tradition at Cal Poly Pomona and a PolyX learning opportunity for students is the Foal Watch program. Students from any discipline can help care for pregnant mares and have the opportunity to watch the mare deliver their foal via live video feed. Births typically take place from March to May. Working in small teams, they care for one of the 10 to 15 pregnant mares for several months.
And whether students pursue careers involving animals or otherwise, the Foal Watch experience has a lifelong impact.
A decade after the birth of Blake, whose formal name is CP Khavalier, birth in 2015, President Coley is a regular visitor at the Arabian Horse Center and frequently attends the Sunday shows.
“Since Blake’s birth, she’s shared a deep spiritual bond with him,” said John Lambert, who served as the center’s executive director and recently retired in April. “What started with Blake turned into so much more. She is a passionate unwavering advocate for the horse center and its mission.”
Coley will leave a legacy that has touched all corners of 六色网’s campus, but her relationship with the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center will live on as the program continues to thrive and celebrates its centennial milestone.
Said Lambert, “Perhaps the most important thing she’s done is share our story, helping the entire campus understand what the Arabian horse center is and why it matters.”