The Pride is a registered Youth Group with the American Saddlebred Horse Association. Every year, we do a variety of activities, including educational activities, fundraisers for charity, and outreach activities which bring awareness of American Saddlebred horses to our community. Many of these activities are free of charge; all are open to all LHRA students.
Our biggest and most exciting activity each year is our trip to Lexington, Kentucky for the annual ASHA Youth Conference. This trip is appropriate for those ages 10 and up, and is a great way to learn all about our breed’s history and community. We usually go for three days, but sometimes we are able to stay an extra day and see more of the sights on our own. In the past, students who have gone on this trip have gone to DeLovely Farm, Don Harris Stables, Premier Stables, Biggins Stables, Alliance Stud, Willowbank Farm, The Red Mile Racetrack, Keeneland Racetrack, and the Kentucky Horse Park. All of this is in addition to meeting kids from all over the country who love Saddlebreds.
At home, we often make field trips to Fairview Farms, an excellent Saddlebred training facility. We have swimming parties with trivia games. Educational activities include learning to prepare a horse for a show, learning proper names for colors and markings, parts of the horse and tack, and much, much more.
We have done fundraisers for the University of Missouri Veterinary School and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and our kids have done toy drives for Goodwill (encouraging kids to donate their own used toys!). Our bake sales for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer have raised over $10,000 for pediatric cancer research!
We do some activities and camps especially for our riders aged 10 and under, whom we call The Cub Club.
The Pride has received numerous national awards for Youth Club Excellence from the American Saddlebred Horse Association.