2010 Equine Affaire to be a horse of a different color

Date: 11/9/2010

Nov. 10, 2010

By Katelyn Gendron

Assistant Editor

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- Novice and veteran riders alike will have the opportunity to learn the language of the horse at the annual Equine Affaire at Eastern States Exposition this weekend.

Some of the world's top trainers and competitors will be on hand to conduct more than 160 clinics, seminars and demonstrations from various riding techniques to the "Tao of Horsemanship" from Nov. 11 to 14. The Pfizer Fantasia, a musical celebration of the horse, along with the Versatile Horse and Rider Competition, will also entertain enthusiasts.

Caroline Rider, owner of Rider Horsemanship in Manchester, Penn., is a practitioner, trainer, and student of the horse. Her clinics at the Equine Affaire will focus on her trademarked approach to communication between rider and horse, called, Tao of Horsemanship."

"I've been studying Taoism and Buddhism all my life for training reasons because I had a backyard horse my whole life," Rider explained of her philosophies. "I knew that I had a deeper connection with the horse ... Taoism [showed me] how I can be one with his heart and synchronized movement. For me, it just fit in perfectly with my yearning and oneness and connection with my horse."

Rider's technique incorporates Eastern philosophies with the principles of classical dressage and natural-horsemanship to enhance "the development of communication, confidence, balance, and harmony between horse and rider."

Mary Trowbridge, owner of Trowbridge's Ltd., in Bridgewater, Conn., will focus her clinics on the art of saddleseat and English Pleasure in conjunction with the Arabian horse.

"The Arabian is the oldest of all the light horse breeds. You find the Arabian was the base of many of today's breeds, many of the thoroughbreds. All of them at different times have infused Arabian [horses into other breeds] for intelligence, strength and trainability," she explained.

Her clinics will focus on techniques for junior riders, she added.

Trowbridge, a professional trainer of Arabians and Half Arabians for 32 years, is a three-time winner of Arabian Professional Horsewoman of the Year and Arabian Female Saddleseat Trainer of the Year.

Robin Gollehon, owner and operator of Gollehon Quarter Horses in Versailles, Ky., said she would base her clinics on the natural mechanics and quality movement of the horse.

"I want to give people a map of how to teach their horses," she explained. "It's giving people a way of living with their horses so it's not so much training them but a way of life. [It's about] teaching people to teach their horses respect without being afraid and [for the horses] to accept their training."

Gollehon, along with her husband Roger, have trained, shown and bred some of the country's top Quarter Horses, accumulating more than 75 world and national titles.

The 2010 Equine Affaire will take place Nov. 11 to 14, from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $14 per day or $48 for a four-day pass for adults and $8 per day or $28 for a four-day pass for children age seven to 10.

For a complete list of clinics, demonstrations, competitions and shows, visit the Equine Affaire's Web site, www.equineaffaire.com.