Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeder Association

News March 31, 2026

Five Louisiana Students Were Awarded LQHBA Scholarships March 28

(Right to left): Roxanne Tanner, Bruce Salard, LQHBA Board member Tim Rogers, Scholarship winners: Camilla Rangel, Onesty Culpepper, Ryan Clair, Preston Peters, Norris Duke and Misty Coats.

© Ann Switalski Photography

By Martha Claussen

ALEXANDRIA, LA–MARCH 30, 2026–The final day of the 2026 Louisiana Downs Quarter Horse racing season proved to be memorable for both Louisiana-bred Quarter Horses and Louisiana students. Smiles were plentiful on Saturday, March 28 as the Bossier City racetrack hosted the $431,440 Mardi Gras Futurity (RG2) and $313,008 Louisiana Downs Futurity(G3) for 2-year-olds.

The afternoon also offered the first opportunity of the year for eligible Louisiana students to receive scholarships courtesy of the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA) Scholarship Fund.

For the second year in a row, Louisiana Downs generously contributed to boost the amount of the LQHBA Scholarships. Five drawings of $2,000 took place following the fourth race of the program.

Bruce Salard, LQHBA executive director, Misty Coats, LQHBA assistant director, LQHBA board members and Roxanne Tanner, Director of Racing at Louisiana Downs assisted with the drawings, enabling the following students to further their education.

Winners of $2,000 scholarships were Camilla Rangel, Princeton, Louisiana, Onesty Culpepper, Shreveport, Louisiana, Ryan Clair, Princeton, Louisiana, Norris Duke, Calhoun, Louisiana and Preston Peters, Haughton, Louisiana.

"We are very grateful to Kevin Preston and his team at Louisiana Downs for their generosity in the fund again this year," said Salard. "This program has meant a great deal to our association since its inception in 2001. We are pleased to announce that in 2026, we have surpassed the $1 million mark in scholarships for students wishing to further their education."

The next LQHBA Scholarship Drawing will take place at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana. For more information on the program, visit LQHBA.com or follow LQHBA on Facebook

LQHBA is the official authorized representative of the American Quarter Horse racing and breeding industry in Louisiana, the unified voice of quarter Horse breedings in the State of Louisiana for purposes of communicatting the advantages and rewards of breeding Quarter Horses in the State and for the purposes of a conducting and coordinating activities with breeding and racing agencies.