DOBSON — Ducks and squirrels and bears, oh my. Wildlife is on display at Surry Community College during the fourth annual Taxidermy Mini-Course, which ends today.

Rick Robson has been teaching taxidermy at SCC for the past five years and is serious about his craft. He prefers to be called a “wildlife artist.”

“It’s not all blood and guts. It’s an art. But it’s not for everyone,” Robson said.

There are 30 companies from 17 states represented at the college for the taxidermy conference this week.

One of the highlights of this year’s conference is a horse that is on display in the gymnasium. Students began the pain-staking process of sculpting and molding the horse to its finished state. Robson said the horse will be part of military funeral processions as “the riderless horse” being pulled by a Jeep.

The horse will also be displayed in a military museum in Parksville, N.Y.

Robson said his students began working on the horse last October. He assured them along the way that “if they can do a squirrel, they can do a horse.”

He said his students gained a great deal from the experience.

“You don’t see a horse mounted every day. It was a real honor for us to do this,” Robson said.

When explaining the process of preserving the horse, Robson said he has “talked until he is hoarse.”

“The fur is real, the hooves are plastic. Even the horseshoes are made of molded plastic. They can be heated and remolded,” Robson said.

He said the horse weighs about 150 pounds and can easily be lifted by two men. The horse weighed about 1,200 pounds when it was alive. The origin of the horse and its name are not known.

“It’s a bit of taxidermy magic,” Robson said of the horse.

Greg Smith, director of occupational programs at the college, said the conference at Surry Community College is unique to the taxidermy circuit.

“There are other national shows, but this is the only one held at a community college,” Smith said.

Today, there will be a class from 9 to 11 a.m. for taxidermists. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the gymnasium will be open to the public for the vendors. At 12:30 p.m., the winners’ names and ribbons will be posted. At 1:30 p.m., an awards ceremony will be held outside on the campus. The conference officially ends at 2 p.m.

Robson said many people don’t realize that taxidermy affects their lives every day.

“There are belts and shoes and wallets. This goes back to the time of Adam and Eve when they clothed themselves with animal skins,” Robson said.

“This is fun. I love teaching it. I love doing it,” he said.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.