By Susan Harris
On the Sunday evening preceding the Lexington Jr. League Horse Show, friends of the roadster horse gathered to celebrate the opening of the American Road Horse Museum. An effort spearheaded by the American Road Horse and Pony Association and many volunteers, the museum is a separate organization from ARHPA, much the same as the American Saddlebred Museum and ASHA.
The evening started with a reception, giving the 200 plus attendees a chance to visit and swap stories. Among the speakers was former Kentucky governor Brereton Jones who expressed great support for the horse industry. He is a horse owner and breeder of Thoroughbreds and “a few” Paint horses. Many well-known faces could be seen in the crowd, quite a few of whom would be more familiar in silks and sitting behind a road horse. Performing the ribbon cutting duties were Raymond Shively, Sam Brannon, and Pat Cropper, secretary of the American Road Horse Association.
Located on the second floor of the historic “Round Barn” at Lexington’s Red Mile, the museum contains many objects of historic significance to the heritage of the American roadster horse - silks, bikes, important papers and of course photographs of past World’s Champions. Currently, the museum has many items from the “modern era,” the 1960’s through current times. Shively said that the museum supporters hope to obtain items relating to road horses from much earlier periods. Donations of any memorabilia are always welcome.
The American Road Horse Museum will not maintain regular hours, but will be open each day during the Lexington Junior League Horse Show and at other times during the year when horse shows and other events (TSE Tattersalls, etc.) are being held in the Lexington area.
Stable of Memories (aka Round Barn)
Abel Vega, John Shea, Cathy & Mike Barlow,
Denessa Harper, Richard Bornemeier, and Randy Harper
Judy McNeish, Merrill & Bonnie Murray,
and Lillian Shively