Equine Affaire’s production team is putting the final touches on a truly special educational program for the 50th Equine Affaire, which will take place Nov. 13-16 at the Eastern States Exposition in W. Springfield, Massachusetts.
Equine Affaire’s impressive program for the upcoming event will include more than 150 clinics, seminars, and demonstrations and address a wide range of equine disciplines and horse-related topics. While training clinics presented at the event will be designed to instruct horse people watching from outside of the riding arenas, these clinics also offer fantastic opportunities for selected riders and horses to receive individual instruction and training from many of the industry’s top professionals—for clinic fees as low as $75!
The Clinicians
Most of the clinicians who will be featured at the 2014 Equine Affaire will be participating in the “Ride With The Best” program and accepting horses and riders for their clinic sessions. These clinicians will include “general” horse and horsemanship trainers Chris Cox, Mark Rashid, and Dan James as well as numerous “specialists” including David O’Connor (eventing), David Marcus and Jane Savoie (dressage), Nicole Shahinian-Simpson (jumping), Bob Giles (driving), Aaron Ralston (reining), Lynn McKenzie (barrel racing), Tom Chown (western pleasure and horsemanship), Cliff Swanson (western dressage), and Shaina Humphrey (hunter under saddle). Gary Lane will present clinics on training and riding easy gaited horses, Heidi Potter will cover topics as diverse as Centered Riding and horse agility, Jim Masterson and Wendy Murdoch will teach the Masterson Method and equine biomechanics respectively, and Mark Bolender will share his expertise on mountain and extreme trail as well as general trail riding. While some clinicians are seeking riders and horses with specific skills or problems to demonstrate and resolve during their clinics, others are seeking any riders interested in improving their general horsemanship and relationships with their horses. The 2014 Equine Affaire will offer clinics for virtually all equestrian tastes—and you and your horse might be the perfect fit for one or more sessions!
Clinic fees and how to apply: The modest clinic fees for Equine Affaire’s “Ride With The Best” program range from $75 for a single clinic to $225 for a multi-part clinic and include clinic participation, event admission, and stabling. Each clinician will select the participants for his or her sessions from written applications and videos submitted to Equine Affaire. Full clinic details and a Ride With The Best application are available at equineaffaire.com. Click on the Massachusetts event and follow the “Participate” link to information on the Ride With The Best program. You may also receive clinic details and an application by contacting Kristen Gump at kgrump@equineaffaire.com or by calling 740-845-0085 ext. 104. If you’re interested in riding at Equine Affaire—don’t wait. The application deadline is Sept. 15!
Learn, shop, celebrate the horse and elevate your equestrian experience at the 50th Equine Affaire this November in W. Springfield. Browse the largest horse-related trade show in the East (including Youth and Breed Pavilions and Horse & Farm Exhibits); experience Equine Affaire’s signature musical celebration of the horse—the Fantasia—on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights; and take in all of the action of Equine Affaire’s Versatile Horse & Rider Invitational on Friday afternoon in the coliseum. For everything you need to know to go, visit equineaffaire.com. Advance tickets will be on sale through Oct. 26.