Local officials broke ground on the Virgin Islands Equestrian Center in Estate Body Slob Tuesday, touting the center as a place where young Virgin Islanders can develop skills in equine care, agriculture and animal science.
Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Vincent Roberts said during Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony that the center will give youth a place to learn discipline, responsibility, sportsmanship and animal care while opening the door to careers in the equine industry.
“Facilities such as this provide our youth with positive environments where they can learn, grow and build lifelong skills,” he said.
In 2024, the 35th Legislature authorized a $900,000 appropriation to the V.I. Sports, Parks and Recreation Department for the construction of an equestrian training facility. The measure was signed by Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach, who was acting as governor while Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. attended meetings in Washington, D.C.
Shamari Haynes, president of the Governor’s Millennial Council, called the center “a space where mentorship, discipline, confidence and responsibility can naturally develop.”
“And perhaps most importantly, it creates another positive pathway for young people within our community. Not every young person finds purpose in the same way,” he said. Some gravitate toward academics and others connect through sports or culture. “That is why this initiative is important, and that is why today matters.”
After several minutes of wide-ranging remarks, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. stressed the need for providing young Virgin Islanders with opportunities.
“Every kid — person, young person — that we lose on the street, we lose a wall of opportunity,” he said. “We might’ve lost the person who’s going to cure cancer, right? We might have lost a person who’s going to cure diabetes or figure out some way to worldwide peace, develop some new type of energy, because we haven’t given that young person an opportunity.”
Bryan said he wants young Virgin Islanders to have as many opportunities as possible, “because you could be the greatest concert pianist in the world, but if you never see a piano, that will never happen.”
“So you could be the greatest jockey in the world, but if you never have a chance to be exposed to horses, you will never know,” he said.
