Rodeo to Help Raise Money For Horse Program

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FRENCH CAMP, Miss. (WCBI) — The second annual PCA Rodeo is coming up this weekend, and is one of the biggest fundraisers for the French Camp Academy and it’s horse program.

The horse program has been a part of the Academy for the past 25 years.

The program also provides valuable lessons for the 4H club on campus, which began 2 years ago.

“It helps me to become a little bit more open because every time I go to a horse show I meet someone new, I talk to someone different”, said club member Becky Henson.

“We really want to teach the kids responsibility and be able to show them Christ through the horses…”, said Horse Program Director Joe Richards, “…let them have that relationship that, you know, something that depends on them, and how God works in our lives.

“We take that picture of training a horse as God trains us and how God brings people into our lives.”

Those kinds of lessons have made an impact for French Camp Academy student and 4H member Tegan Peak, who has been involved with 4H for about seven years.

“…I had trouble here a while back, and I had a hard time of being able to stay [at French Camp], and I had a hard time wanting to be here…”, explained Peak, “…then Joe asked me if I wanted to do 4H and I was like ‘Yeah, I’d love too’.

I came and started doing that and had more friends. It’s something that I love to do it and it gives me more of a chance and I want to stay here.”

Richards, who also spent ten years as a 4H member, said, “my best question is the kids will always be like ‘Why are they picking on other horses’? Well, the same reason new kids get picked on. It’s kind of neat lessons to be able to tell them it’s not good to be picking on somebody…

“It’s just kind of cool because I don’t have to teach them, the horses show it to them and we just use those word pictures.”

Richards said the money raised from the rodeo will help the program buy new horses for the 4H club. He also added that 1,400 people came to the rodeo last year, and that he hopes to see 2,000 people come through French Camp Friday and Saturday.

The public is also welcome to take horseback rides and Richards said the program is hoping to add additional programs the public can attend where 4H members will teach.