The Middleburg Training Center is an invaluable historic resource, and it is paramount that it continues to serve as a training center for racehorses. It has been a central part of the St. Louis village and wider community since the property was home to one of the first African American Horse Shows in 1900. The property was developed by Paul Mellon in 1956 into a training center and it has been a vital agricultural resource that has supported Virginia’s equine industry for 70 years.

The MTC generates more than $7 million of economic benefit to the local community each year and it is a significant contributor to the Virginia-Certified Residency Program which brought over 800 out-of-state horses through the training center from 2017-2023, in addition to almost $14 million in economic impact and 132 jobs. It is not only a celebrated cultural landmark in the heart of Virgina Piedmont and a thriving facet of our agricultural economy, but there is no other training facility in Loudoun or the surrounding counties that possesses the scale or infrastructure necessary to absorb the displaced horses and horsemen should we lose this resource.

The storied Caisson horses are an important part of the equestrian heritage of our country, and we are excited to welcome them into our community at a different location that does not come with unnecessary expense. There is a place for everyone.

Please sign below if you support the Middleburg Training Center remaining a training racetrack for horses and central part of our community.