Horsepeople of all levels of expertise from 4-H riders and those who are just getting started in the horse world to accomplished equestrians and equine professionals will be able to immerse themselves in “all things equine” for four full days at the 2012 Equine Affaire and soak up training and riding tips from a roster of Olympians and World and National Champions from disciplines as diverse as reining, dressage, barrel racing, eventing, jumping, driving, hunter under saddle, team penning and sorting, English pleasure, and gaited horse competition . . . to name a few. Equine Affaire is proud to once again feature a blend of top-notch clinicians and presenters that will represent a broad spectrum of equestrian disciplines at their highest levels and ensure the presentation of a wide range of horse-training techniques and philosophies. Craig Cameron, Linda Parelli, Mark Rashid, Stacy Westfall, Guy McLean, and Jonathan Field are among the presenters who will provide guidance on general horse training and riding topics.
The western disciplines will be well-represented at the 2012 Equine Affaire through sessions conducted by Stacy Westfall on reining, Connie Combson barrel racing, Aaron Ralston on trail and ranch horse training, Drew Emnett on western pleasure, Jeff Wilson on western dressage, Larry Kuyperon team penning and sorting, and Jennifer Moshier on showmanship. Those who prefer the English disciplines will not want to miss sessions byTodd Flettrich and Terry Ciotti Gallo on dressage, Peter Leone on hunters and jumpers, Sinead Halpin on eventing, Andy Marcoux on driving,Jennifer Moshier on hunter under saddle, and Duane Esser on English pleasure and hunter pleasure for gaited breeds. Clinicians presenting sessions focused on specific breeds and types of horses will include Brenda Imus on easy gaited horses and Cathy Zahm on draft horses. Equine Affaire’s diverse program this April will be rounded out by clinics conducted by Hollie McNeil on horse and rider biomechanics, sessions by renowned liberty performers, Sylvia Zerbini and Dan James, on the training of liberty and trick horses, a clinic on riding aside by Mary Rivers, presentations on mountain trail by Mark Bolender, sessions on lunging by Cathy Drumm, and demonstrations by the Northern Ohio Outlaws on cowboy mounted shooting.
The Versatile Horse & Rider Competition returns! Equine Affaire’s hugely popular Versatile Horse & Rider Competition—which was introduced at the Ohio Equine Affaire last year—promises to be a highlight of the 2012 event this April. The competition is a timed and judged race through an obstacle course that is designed not only to push horse and rider teams out of their traditional “comfort zones,” but also to test communication between horse and rider and the horsemanship skills and athletic abilities of each competing team. Thirty pre-selected horse and rider teams will compete for the title of “Versatile Horse & Rider Competition Champion” and $5500 in cash and other prizes.
To eliminate the need to choose between attending a favorite clinic at Equine Affaire or the Versatile Horse & Rider Competition, all of the qualifying rounds for this year’s competition will be held on Thursday evening after all Equine Affaire clinics, seminars, and demos have concluded for the day. The top 10 horse and rider teams will advance to the Versatile Horse & Rider Competition Finals which will take place on Sunday morning during Equine Affaire.
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