Lake Fork Stables was founded in 2019 with a dual purpose: to support the children of East Texas through equine-assisted services and to provide retired racehorses with second (and sometimes even third) careers after racing.

Our founder, Valerie Mellema, has always been a fan of racing, learning, and studying the great racehorses as a teenager, never missing a Kentucky Derby, and always a dedicated equestrian. After a short stint in breeding and a racing partnership, she turned her sights on helping those retiring from racing. In 2014, she bought her first OTTB, a grey gelding named Scenaroid, aka Mistic. A few years later, Mistic would become the first lesson horse and the foundation upon which Lake Fork Stables was built. He taught many young riders until his final days at the age of 26. Working with Thoroughbreds has inspired Valerie to obtain certifications in PEMF therapy, kinesiology taping, craniosacral therapy, and massage therapy. She is also an ARIA Level II certified instructor in both dressage and hunt seat over fences.

The Lake Fork Stables therapeutic riding program, Riders Up!, honors the racing legacy of our Thoroughbred lesson horses as they become the teachers of the future generation of equestrians. We offer a curriculum-based riding program and equine-assisted services for students on the autism spectrum, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, and trauma, utilizing the HorseBoy Method. Lake Fork Stables provides free and discounted lessons based on household income, ensuring that any child or family that needs the healing power of the horse has access to it. Through the Horse Powered Reading ® program, the horses help children learn to read through various activities and games. Students also have the opportunity to join our Show Team and compete with our retired racehorses in dressage and jumping.

The majority of the Thoroughbreds that come to Lake Fork Stables are not necessarily young horses fresh off the track, but are often teenage or senior horses who have found themselves in kill pens or sale barns. We provide them with the stability and love that they need to heal and prosper in their new careers.
We recognize that not all horses are suited to the life of a lesson horse. For those who don’t, or who just prefer their own human, we facilitate fosters and adoptions to homes that meet the horse’s needs and provide mentorship and guidance for their new owners along the way.