San Juan County Gymkhana, a longtime youth rodeo program that has served local families for more than 40 years, recently reopened following closures tied to EHV-1 outbreaks. The organization provides riders of all ages with opportunities to learn horsemanship, build confidence and participate in rodeo events, while continuing to foster a sense of community across generations. This story is sponsored by Ace Hardware and Home 2 Suites By Hilton.
Transcript
Gymkhana is a place where any age can start riding.
We started out in Aztec 40 some years ago. So it’s just a good learning experience, and then they can develop from here and a lot of them go on to bigger rodeos. But they all start at Gymkhana. You’re watching the local news network, brought to you by Ace Hardware and home 2 Suites by Hilton. I’m Kathy Mueller and I’m the organizer for the Gymkhana.
I’ve been with the Gymkhana for over 40 years. We moved to 2 or 3 different arenas during that time, but we’re back in Aztec during the summer.
We have little ones that are being led. This is where they get the feeling of riding horses. We have older ones that bring their horses to train.
We started Gymkhana year round about four years ago. We do the Winter series here at McGee Park once a month, and then at an arena Aztec June and July. Every Monday night due to an outbreak of EHV1 that originated at the World Finals barrel racing event held in November of 2025, in Waco, Texas. The Gymkhana was forced to cancel their monthly rodeo in December.
I’m glad that they took the precaution and closed it down and canceled our December, because my concern is the kids and the horses and you know, you never, would never want any of them to get hurt. EHV1 is a dangerous virus that infects horses. EHV1 can lead to a more serious neurological disease called EHM that can become fatal to horses.
Though Kathy only had to cancel one event due to the EHV1 outbreak, the competitors and their families who look forward to the monthly Gymkhana were eager to compete once again come January. It feels really good, but I’ve had 2 or 3 people comment. Gosh, it’s been a long time. Yeah, it has. We’ve got a Facebook page and it’s called Gymkhana Group.
The Gymkhana is open to the public, but you can come and watch it. You can come and compete. They can come and we do for events. The entry fees are pretty reasonable. They’re $5 an event. It’s just a good place for the kids to come and be able to ride and train their horses and and just keep going because some can’t go and do the big rodeo.
So they enjoy coming here and doing this. Thank you for watching this edition of the local news network. To learn more, visit Gymkhana Group on Facebook. And for more stories like this, visit Farmington local news.
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