Gene L aCroix:
A Look At A Horseman, Part 1 by Mary Kirkman
W
hen Gene LaCroix was honored with the APAHA Lifetime Achievement
Award last February in Scottsdale, everyone in the room—a wall-to-wall jam
that included most of the Arabian breed’s top professionals—rose to applaud him.
Over the years, LaCroix’s influence on the industry has been undeniable; from 1965
through the mid-1980s, he struck new ground and found success in nearly every major
aspect of Arabian horses. At one point, plenty of people wanted to ride on his coattails to whatever next goal he set, while at another, they blamed him for the downturn
in the late 1980s, saying that too much growth had come too fast, setting the stage
for the fall after the 1986 tax reforms. Time and distance have provided perspective, however, and it is worth noting that through it all, there was one thing no one ever
said, and that was that he was not a horseman. A horseman? Absolutely, everyone who knows him agrees. One of the best—the best for many. That was what grounded his role in the breed. By the time that room rose in tribute, the acclaim was genuine. Gene LaCroix’s story is inextricably interwoven with that of his family’s Lasma
Arabian Stud, and he played a major role in its success. For sure, he was not alone; his father, Dr. Eugene E. LaCroix, was the inspiration in its breeding program, and his brother, Raymond, was one of its most formidable trainers and showmen. Even his sister Kathy, in the early years, was one of its headliners. But in the more than two decades of its influence, it was Gene who came to be its leader.
As with any story, there are the facts in black and white—and there are the more colorful memories and thoughts of the person who lived it.
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