LEWISBURG, Ky. — When the editors of Equestrian Quarterly put together a list of the 20 best horse cities in the country, there was no doubt at least one from Kentucky would make the list.

It should come as no surprise Lexington was on there, and well deserved. But the fine folks at EQ probably never had the opportunity to travel to Lewisburg, a small community near the city of Maysville.

It’s one of those very small towns off the beaten path; sometimes overlooked, but never forgotten, especially by those who live or grew up in that area, and the dozens of horse enthusiasts who make their way there for the annual July Lewisburg-Millcreek Horse Show sponsored by the local Lions Club.

The show has been around for decades and in its heyday could rival any of the horse events around. Lewisburg is still in an area known for its many small shows, although some are becoming a thing of the past. The Lions Club members of Lewisburg are not ready for that to happen with this show.

In fact, Show Manager Mike Merrill is hoping to help bring it back to its glory-years status and become the best one-night show in the state.

"Years ago there were enough people within a 15-mile area to make the horse show, but not anymore – and one-night shows are a dying breed," he said. "We’re going to put everything we can into building this show back up and hopefully compete with or be the best one-night show in the state of Kentucky."

Merrill has shown horses most of his life, as have his wife and daughter. He said there has to be a real love for the animals for those involved in the sport – and the people who come to Lewisburg definitely have that passion for the breed. Beth and Joe Jenkins are indicative of those who simply love to be involved with horses. The couple traveled to this year’s Lewisburg show from their home in Harrodsburg, a more than 200-mile round trip.

Joe Jenkins began his life with horses helping his grandfather, who was a trainer. "I got started when I was a young kid, helping him and spending my summers at the horse shows," he said. "These little shows are getting ready to go by the wayside. People don’t get out and go to them as much as they should."

Jenkins thinks the smaller shows are more fun to attend and participate in, as opposed to larger events. He also noted when he was younger, it was these small shows his family attended every weekend.

"The one-night shows, I think, were the backbone of the industry. I would like to see it get back to that and I think it will, but it’s going to take a lot of work from show management," he said. "If they don’t have these types of events, we won’t have any place to show."

Jenkins pointed out that passing the love of the sport on to a new generation is something else that needs to happen in order to keep the industry alive. Merrill agreed; he said the Lewisburg show used to feature multiple breeds but a decision was made to go with mostly Saddlebred and a road-horse type of show to get the children back and involved.

"It’s important to get the kids involved again because when you do that, their grandparents, aunts, uncles and other family members show up to watch," he said. "It’s important to us that we have classes for them."

Lewisburg is part of the bigger picture when it comes to horse shows in the state. At last count, according to information from the Kentucky County Fair Assoc., there are more than 80 horse show events throughout Kentucky annually.

Some of these are standalone events, but most of them take place during fair time.

The most recent equine survey conducted in the state noted the competition sector of Kentucky’s horse industry creates an economic impact similar to numbers from the breeding sector.

Those figures included 2,708 in employment, $635 million in output and $297 million in value-added impact.

Some of these shows also serve as sanctioning competitions, allowing riders to earn the right to move on to the World Championship Horse Show at the Kentucky State Fair. But Lewisburg has an even bigger agenda: To help raise money for the many projects funded by its Lions Club.

"This show started close to 40 years ago and this is our biggest fundraiser of the year," he said. "We put everything we earn right back into the community and without this show, it would be hard for our club to succeed."

That money goes to help the hearing-impaired and to the children’s eyeglass initiative, something in which Lions Clubs have participated for decades. Merrill said the money is also used to help the elderly in the community.

In return, that community shows up to help put this show on each year. Merrill said while the Lewisburg-Millcreek Lions Club is small, all its members "give 110 percent" to make sure it is a success, from those selling tickets to those grilling food for hungry attendees.

"This show has been a part of my whole life and we put a lot into it and try to give back according to what the older people have taught us," he said.

Merrill emphasized while many feel negative about the chance that these small shows will last, he thinks it will go just the opposite way. "I’m pretty optimistic and I think it’s going to get bigger and better than it ever was," he said.

"You do have to have a love for it. I remember when there would be people all around the rail of the show ring, and I think it’s starting to come back."

But Merrill recognizes it will take acknowledgement that smaller events like the one at Lewisburg must survive from the larger show horse operations.

"If the big-time professionals don’t start recognizing these one-night little shows, their big shows will go away, too," he said. "You have to have these shows with the community support, the family atmosphere and the dedication of those people who put this on, like we have here."