By JANE HOUIN
Ohio Correspondent MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — With or without their horses in tow, Quarter Horse enthusiasts will converge in Murfreesboro, Tenn., the first weekend in May for QuarterFest. Billed as a “Celebration of the American Quarter Horse,” event coordinators say everyone who is “horse crazy” will have a ball.
Attendees are encouraged to bring the entire family to the three-day event being held at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum on May 1-3. General admission tickets provide access to numerous activities designed to please the entire family.
Little ones will enjoy a visit to the Kids Corral, where kids of all ages can “test-drive” an American Quarter Horse as well as participate in hands-on, equine-related activities and games. They will also have the opportunity to learn how they can make their own horse-related behavior more “green” or eco-friendly.
In addition, clinics, demonstrations, seminars and special events will be held on a myriad of topics—and attendees are invited to bring their own horse(s) and participate in as many of the hands-on clinics as they would like. However, there are a limited number of spots available for people to participate in clinics with their horses, and participation with a horse will require an additional fee as well as general event admission.
Topics range from ranch roping to starting colts and from adult and youth horsemanship to reining and negotiating trail obstacles. And those are just a few of the topics to be covered.
For example, Bo Winslow, a Certified Horsemanship Association clinician, will provide information and advice for horsemen preparing for a backcountry camping trip with their horses. In his clinic, Winslow will discuss preparing for the trip by covering the rules and regulations of the camping/packing area to be visited as well as learning to prepare cobbler and biscuits using a Dutch oven.
Winslow will also address horse selection and the role conformation should play in selecting pack and riding animals as well as securing horses during the trip, from learning to tie a safe picket line to hold several horses overnight to other methods of securing horses on the trip.
He will also discuss campsite selection and what to look for, low-impact guidelines, building fires in tough conditions and setting up and taking down camp with minimal impact.
Other well-known clinicians in attendance will include several of AQHA’s Professional Horsemen and women and nationally-recognized trainers: Julie Goodnight of Salida, Colo.; Curt and Tammy Pate, a husband-wife team from Newell, S.D.; Jeff Griffith of Gallatin Gateway, Mont.; and Christy Landwehr of Aurora, Colo.
Goodnight is known as “The Horse Master” on her new RFD-TV television show and will be covering the fundamental of natural riding, advanced equitation, improving your horse under saddle and common equitation challenges and their solutions.
Through her varied background – which has included riding and training horses in dressage jumping, racing, reining, colt-starting, versatility ranch work and wilderness riding – Goodnight has discovered common underlying principles important to all equine disciplines. She communicated clearly with both horses and riders in any discipline and at any level, and she travels coast-to-coast and beyond for much of the year to help horses and their riders at horse expos, conferences, clinics and while filming her television “makeover” show.
But QuarterFest is not just about education. Savvy equine shoppers will enjoy a fashion show featuring boots, jeans and “bling” from AQHA Corporate Partners Wrangler, Justin and Montana Silversmith. And the trade show will provide shoppers with a chance to browse and purchase clothing, tack and horse gadgets galore.
And on Friday and Saturday evenings, the coliseum will be filled with the excitement of a special two-hour choreographed American Quarter Horse “Extravaganza” celebrating the American Quarter Horse and its versatility. Separate tickets are required for admission to the Extravaganza.
According to organizers, anyone who has ever seen a horse in the pasture will leave the Extravaganza more connected to the horse than when they walked through the QuarterFest gates. They say they are pulling out all of the stops to tell the story of the American Quarter Horse, and the audience will have to hold onto your seat – and their hearts – because the event will rock their American Quarter Horse world!
Advance tickets to QuarterFest and the Extravaganza are available now at www.aqha.com/quarterfest where attendees can order tickets, reserve stalling and camping spots, and reserve spots in the clinics of their choice.
A three-day adult pass for the event is $40 for non-AQHA members and $30 for members; youth three-day passes are $30 for non members and $20 for members. Single day adult tickets are $20 for non-members and $15 for members, with youth single-day tickets costing $15 for non-members and $10 for members. Children under age 6 are admitted for free.
Premium level Extravaganza tickets are $20 per person, with Gold level tickets $15 per person. For the extravaganza, children ages 2 and under who sit on an adult’s lap are free.
For more information, visit www.aqha.com/quarterfest |
