All of our youth riders in NBHA & IBRA qualified for NBHA Youth Worlds and IBRA nationals last year, but decided to attend only IBRA Nationals.
It was a fantastic adventure and led us to this season with even more qualifying riders set to attend the 2023 IBRA National Finals Barrel Racing event!
Although being able to qualify for these prestigious events is an honor, it does take quite a bit of fundraising for these youths to be able to attend a world's level barrel racing competition.
While it may seem like horseback riding is only for the wealthy, the primary amount of our team riders are standard working class families who normally would not be able to afford owning a horse without the kind of program we provide. The riders going to these event are working on raising the funds themselves, so their families do not have to take it out of the budget. These are all kids & adults who have some serious work ethic and are either creating things with their own hands to sell or are picking up multiple odd jobs to earn to go on their own and cover the costs of traveling many States away in order to compete with the world's best in barrel racing.
Any donations, whether in the form of monetary or product sponsoring, will be used to cover the costs associated with attending this event.
You can click the links below to find out more about each rider on our team and how you can help them
My name is Lydia Franzenburg and I am 12 years old from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I am seeking sponsors in support of my upcoming trip to participate in the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) Youth World Finals. NBHA is a leading global organization for the sport of barrel racing and I am honored to represent Cedar Rapids and the State of Iowa at this prestigious event.
My younger sister has always been obsessed with horses. A couple years ago, she started taking lessons at a True Heart Equine and joined their competitive Show Team. I was playing on a travel softball team and had absolutely no interest in horses. My sister regularly encouraged me to spend time with her at the barn and I eventually agreed. Slowly, I found myself wanting to spend most of my free time at the barn and decided it was time to take a few riding lessons. The day of my first lesson, the Coach asked if I wanted to participate in one of the local fun shows that coming weekend and I reluctantly agreed. I was extremely nervous because I only had one lesson and had no idea how to run any of the events. My first official barrel run took me well over a minute to complete and an older gentleman in the crowd heckled me for being slow. However, I had so much fun and was officially hooked on the rush of horse riding!
It has been a little over a year since I participated in that local fun show. In that year, I have spent countless hours at the barn working, learning and riding. I have competed on two leased horses that both provided wonderful learning experiences. In August 2021, my family purchased a palomino quarter horse that I will be competing on in the future. I have come a very long way since that first barrel race. I won 3D 1st Place in Novice at Sandburr Rodeo Productions Summer Series and earned my first belt buckle. I regularly placed in all the events at the Cedar Rapids Horseman’s Club fun shows. I was a NBHA State Qualifier and a NBHA Youth World Qualifier.
Horse riding has changed my life in so many ways and I am grateful that my sister’s horse obsession helped ignite my passion for horse riding! Your sponsorship would help alleviate some of the financial burden associated with the entry fees, stall fees, coaching fees, travel and lodging expenses for my trip to NBHA Youth Worlds in Perry, Georgia. I appreciate your consideration in helping me continue my horse riding journey at the NBHA Youth World Finals.
Sincerely,
Lydia Franzenburg
Venmo: @ Christy-Franzenburg