Isn’t it true? Horse activities are just more fun when youngsters get involved. So the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo is offering a number of “kid-friendly” activities before and during the Expo in Denver to be held March 13-15, 2009.

For several weeks now, students at 19 Colorado elementary schools have been up to their elbows in paint and crayons (or pencils and erasers) polishing their entries for the third annual Art & Essay Contest. Winners will be presented at the Horse Expo and their work featured at a gallery on the trade show floor.

The Rocky Mountain Horse Expo will bring educational programs to several area schools on Wednesday and Thursday, March 11-12. Some or all of these horsemen will visit Audra Dobbs, Miss Rodeo Colorado 2009; Colorado Carriage Company (in an authentic 1868 stagecoach drawn by two 18-hand Percherons); Sierra Vista Arabians with CHDA board member Jerry Martinez; Andersen Alfalfa with a team and wagon; and a large complement of horses and riders from the Rocky Mountain Norwegian Fjord Club.

Audra Dobbs, Miss Rodeo Colorado 2009, offers an encouraging word (or two) to girls with royal dreams and families thinking of getting their first horse. (And pssst—a hint to you kids: there are horses for sale in the barn, and all the tack you need at the trade show in the Expo Hall.)

Saturday and Sunday, kids from 5-14 can compete in Cowboys For Kids “Extreme Junior Dummy Roping.” The small entry fee supports the Cowboys for Kids scholarship fund and other activities for at-risk and other children in need of special attention. Also part of the Cowboys For Kids exhibit, the Colorado Carriage Company’s authentic 1868 stagecoach will be giving rides all weekend.

Every day in the Junior Rodeo Arena, youngsters can get free Buckaroo Roping Lessons from some of the best cowboys around. And the very smallest kids can win prizes after they gallop their feisty mounts around barrels and poles in the Stick Horse Races.

Tomorrow’s horse industry depends on involving today’s youth. The secret to that is family fun, which the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo offers in abundance. Mark your calendars for March 13-15 in Denver. Visit rockymountainhorseexpo.com or call (303) 292-4981 for more information.

ENDS