LouisianaBred: Michele Rodriguez
#LouisianaBred

“The incentive program is important because it rewards a horse breeding o

peration for producing quality horses for racing.”

Michele Rodriguez makes a lot of things happen for the horse industry. She has served on the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association for nine years.

She resides in Folsom, Louisiana, one of the focal points for horses in the state. Her involvement with thoroughbred horses dates back to 1987.

Rodriguez entered the horse business in the 1980s when she was given one pregnant mare, then rescued an additional mare and foal. When the pregnant mare foaled, the resulting horse became her first starter.

Elite Thoroughbreds is co-owned by Rodriguez and husband Lee D. Thomas. Elite Thoroughbreds is located in a 700-acre setting of oaks and pines only an hour’s drive from the New Orleans Fairgrounds. It offers a refuge for horses from the everyday stress of the racetrack.  The facilities include a 1/2 mile racetrack, a four stall starting gate, a sixty-foot Euroexerciser, a sixty-foot round breaking pen, a swimming pond and numerous paddocks as well as six large barns complete with extra large stalls for foaling.  The staff attends to the horse’s every need during its stay on the grounds.

Michele is an attorney who owns and operates a successful title company. She is also one of the founders of the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association. She is a combination of business, passion and compassion. Michele has the biggest heart and is 100 percent for the good of all horses.

When asked what her favorite Louisiana Bred horse was she is quick to answer, Raspberry Wine.

“She made a half million on the track and produced some beautiful babies.”