The Athens Saddle Club will host a three-day educational event Sept. 25-27 at 701 E. South Blvd., marking the club’s first event in nearly a decade.
The event will include two days of educational clinics followed by barrel races on Sunday. Riders can bring their horses to practice and work on the barrel pattern during the clinic.
Free educational sessions will be offered Friday and Saturday on horse health care. The sessions will include local veterinarian Dr. Crystal Chapple, who will lead a free education session at 6 p.m. Friday.
Dan Witty of Farm Star Equine Services will demonstrate horse health practices, including hoof care. Attendees also will be able to learn about treatments for performance horses, including X-rays and ultrasounds.
The educational sessions are open to the public and will provide information for caretakers of both domestic and race horses.
The Athens Saddle Club is a local nonprofit organization, originally established in 1946, focused on educating and engaging in the community through horse care and local events.
Club President Colleen Francis organized new members to the board in March to help revamp and revitalize the club after a several-year hiatus. Rachel Cleary and Makhalea Whitehead joined Francis on the board.
“This is really to introduce Athens Saddle Club and we are accepting donations if anyone wants to help us, we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Francis said.
The club is looking for volunteers and has several open stalls available for new boarders. Club members maintain the property and facilities.
Vendor spots are still available and are free.
Other events are planned for October, including an open show that will be open to the public and a Halloween open house on Oct. 31.
Those interested in the event can contact the club at athenssaddleclub@yahoo.com for more information.
Support for the upcoming event comes from Hoosier Heartland State Bank, Blake’s Electric, Francis Family, Redbud Ranch, Indiana Barn Foundation, Code Brown Plumbing, AWL, ASC members and volunteers, Crawfordsville Electric Light & Power, True Country 106.3 WCDQ and Coons Trim Co.
