For any club to be put on the map competitively or academically, the club must participate in events and have a strong relationship with its members. The Block and Bridle club is one of those groups.
“We want to help the next generation of agriculturalists break into future careers and interests,” Emilie Thomason, a senior Animal Science major and committed Block and Bridle member, said.
On March 23, the club will be putting on a horse show that will help fund the club’s trip to Springfield, Mo., where the national convention for Block and Bridle is being held.
“We went to our first Block and Bridle convention last April in Ohio and it was amazing,” Amber Wyler, senior Animal Science major and vital member of the Block and Bridle club, said.
For the past 94 years, Block and Bridle has honored the animal agriculture world by promoting hands-on education, intensifying professionalism, and sculpting young men and women for the animal agriculture industry.
The show will be located at the WT Horse Center with registration opening at 9 a.m. and the show starting at 10 a.m. Registration fees are five dollars and classes are seven dollars apiece. The Block and Bridle club does encourage those who participate in speed events that helmets are required.
The concession stand will be run in company of the Pre Vet club. There are 43 classes, three classes per event and ages ranging in all different areas. The silent auction will end once the last class is judged. The items for the auction are being donated by the community and club members. Prizes for high point English, Western, and Speed will include rosettes and equestrian related prizes.
“Block and bridle is an organization that tries to get the word of agriculture out,” John Osborne, a junior majoring in Ag Business and Economics and an active Block and Bridle member, said.
According to the convention’s website, “the Convention and Industry tours create a unique atmosphere, bringing together around 500 animal science students and professors spanning across the nation.”
Each year, the event tries to provide and build ties with its members across the nation, with professionals within the industry who are avid about getting the word out to the public.
“One main goal we try to do it get correct information to the public about what is going on in the industry and help fight the bad information that is being leaked out,” Wyler said.
“It is mainly an Animal Science club, but all majors are welcome,” Thomason said. “We focus on promoting agriculture in the community and on campus.”
Some qualifications for becoming a member of Block and Bridle are being an enrolled student at WT, paying $20 for the annual membership, which covers their chapter and state dues, and attending the events and meetings held by the club.
The meetings are conducted every other Thursday in room 201 in the ANS building at 12:15 p.m. The next meeting will be on March 20, where the club will be discussing the final details for the horse show.
“Every year, we help put on Little International,” Osborne said.
Little International is a mock stock show that allows WTAMU students to engage with animal life.
Between hosting the horse show, the club also participates in Agri-Olympics, helping with the local FFA livestock contest, helping with the junior livestock judging contest and the junior agricultural contest last year alongside the other agriculture oriented clubs on campus.
In future events, the club will be traveling to the national convention in Lubbock, Texas, which will be held next spring. The club will also be volunteering at local animal shelters and try to help their community.
“Our members have grown since we first started this year and we are very proud of that and hope to continue to grow,” Wyler said.
Block and Bridle is an animal science club and works closely with the Pre Vet club. Students take various chemistry and other science classes together because the Pre Vet and Animal Science majors are basically identical.
Because of this, both clubs share a majority of classes together and have grown to know the Pre-Vet members and officers.
“We are lucky enough to share some of the same members and events through the university,” Thomason said. “We are very thankful for the Pre Vet Club. They have given our members a broader experience through their involvement with us.”
Each club makes it a point to help the other club when they can and vise versa. Both are going for the same goal – to further agriculture, whether that’s as veterinarians or industry leaders.
The Block and Bridle club is also selling WT Agriculture hoodies that will be combined with the money earned at the horse show to fund the convention trip. The sale has no dedicated end date and will be sold until the club’s inventory is out, which at that point the club will start looking into future orders.
