The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of exposure to lab-based instruction to lecture-based instruction on student achievement as evidenced by test scores. Pre and post-tests were administered at the beginning and end of a 15-week long semester and student demographics, including previous experience with horses and horse ownership, were used to further examine the data. Both methods revealed increases in student test scores, but the lecture-based method showed a greater increase. The lab environment may have distracted the students and influenced the marginal growth in test scores for students participating in the labs. Students who owned horses may have already been familiar with the barn environment and been distracted (disengaged) with the information being shared in lab. The newness of the barn environment may have distracted non-horse owners from fully engaging with the content being shared in lab and resulted in little growth in test scores. These results suggest that equine labs may be more effective if separated into beginner and experienced sections. Additional research is needed to further understand this phenomenon.