February 20, 2026: Lexington, KY –  ASHBA Youth had a fun weekend celebrating our youth members at the 2026 ASHBA Annual Youth Conference in Lexington, Kentucky at the historic Campbell House hotel! The conference’s theme, For the Love of the Horse embodied the weekend as we celebrated our love of the American Saddlebred. The weekend also showcased some standout American Saddlebreds at Rose Haven Farm and Grey Ridge Farm during the conference’s Saddlebred Saturday. Thank you to our presenting sponsor Grace Arnold, LLC and all the conference sponsors for helping make the weekend such a success!

 

The 2026 Youth Conference started with a special inside look at the local Spy Coast facility. Spy Coast is a sport horse farm however, they are leaders in innovative breeding techniques and have expanded their property to include so much more. The tour included a special look inside their rehabilitation center, young horse development center and their education center. This was such a fun experience for all!

 

Friday night was a new and fun one for the attendees. The night started with a saddle demonstration by Adrienne Hendricks, who actually took a saddle apart for the youth attendees. They were able to get up close and hold different pieces of the saddle and ask her questions throughout the process. Juliette Dell stopped by and spoke about her amazing night winning the World’s Grand Championship aboard her mare, Kalarama’s Treasured Dream. The youth attendees were able to ask her questions about her ride and her special mare. The night continued with team trivia! The winning teams were Oakwood Stables in round 1, Chase Farms in round 2 and Coventry Woods Stable in round 3! The featured movie of the evening was Secretariat as voted on by the attendees themselves. A great first night of the conference!  

Saddlebred Saturday was a fun filled day! Our first stop of the day was at Rose Haven Farm with Julianne Rafferty and Austin Hazelwood. Not only did Austin ride and drive numerous horses for the crowd, but some of the junior riders who ride at Rose Haven were also able to partake in the demonstrations. We saw Christina Spiliotis with her horse Firewater and WCC WC Silent Investment ridden by Jacqueline Schatzberg. Austin put on a show with WC Rarefield Heir, Fareview’s Brass Tacks, and RWC Hot Damn. Crowd favorites included Sea Senior and I Want Samur. Missy Smith from William Woods University helped share details on these horses and helped answer questions. Thank you to the Rose Haven Team for such a great time!

 

Our second stop was Grey Ridge Farm just down the road. WC RWCC Festival Calypso LR, WC RWCC Nut My Fault, WC Marine Heir, and WCC WC Oh What An Asset were displayed for the group with Bret Day in the irons. These World’s Champion Saddlebreds put on quite a show for us! The horses all displayed their divisions and gaits perfectly for the youth attendees and once again Missy was a great MC for these exemplary breed ambassadors.

Grey Ridge Farm was also host to 5 different educational stations for the attendees. These stations were a great way for the youth participants to learn more, but also for their parents who came with them. The show bun station was particularly popular, and Deveau Zubrod got them up and moving with her “Strong Riders Workout” routine. From learning about the mechanics of the double bridle to learning about the bits themselves and what goes into show ring prep, these educational stations were a favorite to many. A big thank you to Grey Ridge Farm and their team for making those a reality for our youth!

 

The Saddlebred Social and first ever Youth Conference College Fair kicked off our Saturday night Youth Awards Gala. The College Fair was a huge hit for all in attendance! University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, Midway University, Stephens College, William Woods University, and the UK Saddle Seat Team all joined us to share details about their equine programs with youth, parents and instructors. They had fun activities and participated in a College Fair Passport drawing where participants could win prizes. The Saddlebred Social hour was sponsored by William Woods University with custom soda mocktail drinks. Youth were able to play the Saddlebred Social Bingo to win fun prizes. The hour also featured the 75^th anniversary Saddlebred Breyer horse giveaway and special Valentine’s Cards featuring the current World’s Grand Champions.

 

The Youth Awards Ceremony was MC’d by Travis Olinger with Jacqueline Schatzberg, Youth Council representative and 2025 Frank Ogletree Award Recipient presenting the lineup of various 2025 Youth Awards. The awards ceremony ended with the drawing of the popular Youth Conference Stamp Card sponsored by Freedman’s! Congratulations to Grace Hunt, Anabelle Beaver, and Paisley Worthington! Congratulations to all the 2025 Youth Awards Winners!

 

Alyssa Watanapongse

13 & Under: Chandler Simpson

14 & Up: Finley Paul

Ashlyn Deaton (KASPHA)

Darien Walker (ASHBA)

13 & Under: Charli Perdue with “Bringing Home the Blue”

14 & Up: Collin Fuentes with “Flawless Fine Harness”

National High Point 13 & Under: Kendra Geib

National High Point 14-21: Alicia Kritzler

Region 1: Charlotte Cuzens

Region 3: Emily Bisignano

Region 4: Evelyn Rich

Region 5: Isabella Eifert 

Region 6: Jocelyn Mease

Region 7: Addyson Hamby

Region 8: Reese Fennessy

Region 9: Catie Evans

Region 10: Mason Granus

Ashlyn Deaton

Olivia Kritzler

Ella Robinson

Harper Robinson

Charlotte Cuzens

Sofia Rodriguez Vialesik

History Award – Zu-Kru Youth Club

Meetings & Programs Award – Trinity Trotters Youth Club 

Membership Award – Head Over Hooves Youth Club

Youth Events Award – ASHAV Youth Club

Educational Activities Award – ASHAV Youth Club

Community Service Award - Grey Ridge Farm Riding Academy Youth Club

Breed Promotion Award - Grey Ridge Farm Riding Academy Youth Club

Fundraising Award - Lenux Legends Youth Club

Youth Club of the Year - Lenux Legends Youth Club

Joyce Webster American Saddlebred Academy Grant Recipient: Christy Parker

Jacqueline Schatzberg – Region 1

Emma Wycoff – Region 3, Missouri

Avery Demuth – Region 3, Iowa

Bentley Kool – Region 3

Deidre Shanahan – Region 5

Mike Lentz – Region 6

Brooke Carrier – Region 7

Mackenzie Reynolds – Region 8, Tennessee & Ambassador Leader

Collin Fuentes – Region 8, Florida

Aubrey Apanovitch – Region 8, Florida

Reese Fennessy – Region 8, Georgia

Abby Connolly – Region 8, Chair

Sally Walser – Region 9

Jensen Raulerson – Region 10

Ashlyn Deaton – Academy Seat

Morgan Huber – Youth Club Seat

 

Click here for a full list of the 2025 Academy Medal Award winners!

 

Thank you for joining ASHBA Youth for such a fun weekend. We hope you join us next year!