Massachusetts Equine Affaire 2008 - The Report!

[Cavallo Ventures]

First-Ever ASHA Sponsored Presence at East Coast Equine Affaire®

On November 13-16, 2008, ASHA will sponsor a breed booth at the East Coast Equine Affaire® event, being held at the Eastern States Exposition Center in West Springfield, MA. Equine Affaire®, the nation's premiere national equine exposition and equestrian gathering, organizes four days of clinics, seminars, demonstrations and exhibits, with an expected attendance of tens of thousands of horse people.

The ASHA booth will feature the versatility of the American Saddlebred Horse, highlighting the “I’ll Take You There” campaign. This is an unprecedented opportunity for us to engage thousands of people and educate them about the wonderful breed we all love.

Saddlebred-loving volunteers are needed to help staff the breed booth, signing up for 4-hour shifts throughout the four days of the event, running from 9AM to 7:30 PM. Volunteer for a few hours in the booth and then spend the rest of the day watching the demonstrations and browsing all the exhibits!

If you are interested in volunteering for the booth please contact either Susan Vine [esvine@gmail.com, 978/266-1266] or Mark Strong [mstrong59@att.net, 617/922-5501]. For more information about Equine Affaire®, visit www.equineaffaire.com

[tuxesandtails92]

im going to be at the equine affair with friesians but I have a ASB and have been around them for 7 years...i can see if i can sneak away from my barn for acouple hours to help...ill give u a call after the keurning

[Deidre]

On Friday November 14th at 1:15 there will be a Saddlebred Breed demonstration featuring many New England Saddlebreds...We will be bringing the very nice harness horse "Kendall Jackson" and the great hunter horse "Tasha Belle" for the demonstration.
Deidre
www.hightailacres.com

[Cavallo Ventures]

The breed demonstration on Friday is shaping up very nicely. We are pleased to be showcasing the breed and its versatility with representatives from the following disciplines:

3 Gaited
5 Gaited
Show Pleasure Driving
Hunter (2 horses)
Western
Dressage
Show Pleasure
Country Pleasure
Fine Harness

The demonstration is being choreographed and produced by Bob and Raye Lynn Funkhouser, who were also instrumental in the very successful UPHA Chapter 14 Symphony of Horses last year.

All of the demonstration horses will be stabled together so spectators at the event can visit with them back in the barn. Of course the stabling area will be designed to highlight all the wonderful things this breed can do.

Our breed booth will also be an exciting showcase of the breed. We will be using the eye-catching "I'll Take You There" campaign banners from the ASHA, and will also have videos and DVDs playing continuously, highlighting all the different discpliplines in which Saddlebreds excel. Along with ASHA brochures and a lists of all area barns, trainers, instructers, breeders, etc., we will also have a laptop available so that spectators can look up barns or lesson programs in their specific areas.

We have had a good response from volunteers to staff the booth and are pleased to have a nice mix of professionals, amateurs, breeders, backyard owners, and sport horse competitors offering their time to answer questions about their horses and the Saddlebred in general.

If you are in the area, and would like to join us, please contact me and I will let you know which days and times are still in need of a few more volunteers. We are planning on having a lot of fun!

Thanks.

Mark.
mstrong59@att.net

[Cavallo Ventures]

Just a reminder to everyone in the Northeast to come by and visit us in the Saddlebred booth at the MA Equine Affaire starting tomorrow. We have a great group of volunteers who have stepped up to help promote the Saddlebred and we are excited to meet the hordes of people.

Our breed demonstration will be on Friday @ 1:15 PM. I will be sure to try to video the presentation so that we can share that with everyone afterward.

Wish us luck and we hope to see some of you at the booth!

Mark.

[roadpony]

This is so exciting to have such a well-organized effort for the Saddlebreds at this Equine Affaire! It'll be fun to hear about it afterwards. Good luck! Congrats and THANKS to all the volunteers in the Northeast!

[Cavallo Ventures]

This is so exciting to have such a well-organized effort for the Saddlebreds at this Equine Affaire! It'll be fun to hear about it afterwards. Good luck! Congrats and THANKS to all the volunteers in the Northeast!

Well, we "think" we are well-organized, but I guess we will find out for sure starting tomorrow AM!

Thanks.

Mark.

[attafox]

Mark -

Comfy shoes are a must. A bowl of peppermints (if you haven't thought of that) and a broom to sweep the carpet regularly ...

And, you always forget something! BTW, did you do a raffle so you can collect contact info in order to get back in touch with the folks afterwards? We forgot that our first year :oops:

Best of luck - say hi to Debbie Putnam for us ... she's really nice.

Looking forward to hearing all about your successes. Have a great time!

[Cavallo Ventures]

I am happy to report that our first effort at the Massachusetts Equine Affaire was a great success! The booth looked wonderful...very professional and inviting. And the breed demonstration went off perfectly. I will post some photos and video once things settle down.

Tens of thousands of people attended the event and saw all the ways that the American Saddlebred can "Take You There." As you can imagine, we had lots of "interesting" questions throughout the four days, but the most common remark made, and in great quantity, was "I used to have a Saddlebred and he/she was the best horse I ever had. I could do anything with him/her." It was wonderful to hear that from so many people. And those people who currently had Saddlebreds at home were using them for everything under the sun. We directed lots of newcomers to barns and riding programs in their areas so that they could learn more.

We planned the timing of the breed demo to coincide with a saddleseat clinic so that we would perhaps get a bigger attendance from the traditional saddleseat crowd. What we hadn't planned on was going right after a lengthy clinic with Dressage Olympian Courtney King and a breed demonstration by one of the warmblood groups. So we had a very interesting mix of people in the stands. I can say that the warmblood demonstration was very sedate, but once the Saddlebreds hit the ring, the cheering began...from everyone in the stands and for all of the disciplines, not just the gaited and fine harness horses. Our dressage and hunt seat performers rocked the place.

The biggest thanks goes to the 20+ volunteers who helped staff the booth and all the owners/trainers/riders who brought horses for the breed demo. Many came from several hours away, on a cold and rainy day, and spent a lot of time getting ready for a very brief pass in the ring. The best part was that everyone seems eager to do it again next year!

We have already requested the booth for next year, asked to have an exhibit stall (petting horse), and put our name on the list to perform in the big arena in between one of the headline clinicians.

More to come!

Mark.

[roadpony]

Mark:

I got tears and chills reading your report. Wonderful news!

Susan

[canter]

Mark,

You have accomplished something you should bust your buttons with. Absolutely awesome. My top hat is off to you. Thank you so much. I, too have tears of joy.

[mlinky]

Mark, kudos to you for coordinating this effort!!