Quarter Horse at Moore Elementary School
In advance of the Franklin Rodeo, May 15-17, the students at Moore Elementary School will be able to get nose to nose with Tuffy, A Real American Quarter Horse Hero™, the first horse ever enrolled in a public school system. Tuffy is a six year old Quarter horse gelding from Santa Rosa, Florida, who will arrive for class Tuesday, May 13, 8:00 am, at Moore Elementary School.
Through an innovative partnership between the Franklin Rodeo and the Santa Rosa Educational Foundation, Tuffy will spend the week, May 12-16, visiting with 2,000 local elementary school students and be on site at the Franklin Rodeo for the public to meet. Tuffy, an 1,100 pound sorrel AQHA registered native American Quarter Horse, is used as a delivery system for character education concepts like respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, perseverance, and citizenship. Based on the principle that all living things have feelings and that there is a place in the world for all living things, TuffyÂ’s life is used to model good character for all he meets.
Organizers recognize that the appeal of the American Quarter Horse (as the preferred rodeo horse) has remained constant from generation to generation. A symbol of good character, their self-sacrificing, strong-hearted and compassionate nature are traits that elementary age children can identify. Research shows that the empathy triggered by the horse can be a foundation for character development. Empathy, impulse control, and anger management skills are taught to students in TuffyÂ’s presence. TuffyÂ’s arrival is part of the Franklin RodeoÂ’s community outreach effort funded through ticket sales.
