A long time ago I lived in Pittsburgh.  There were a lot of great benefits to living in this area, but one of my favorites was the proximity to Columbus Ohio.  Columbus was (and is) a mecca for horse lovers.  Each year, October brings fall leaves, crisp temperatures, and the Quarter Horse Congress.  For anyone who has never been, Congress for horse lovers is sort of like Rodeo Drive for wealthy shopaholics.  Interventions are often necessary.  Each fall, my family would close out our show season by attending one weekend of the Congress for shopping and horse fun.

If the Congress fun wasn’t enough, seventeen years ago another horse expo came to Columbus:  the Equine Affaire.  This event is a horse lover’s dream.  A bustling trade show, demonstrations by world class trainers, clinics, breed demonstrations, Stallion Row….you name it, Equine Affaire has it.  This year, I decided it was time for me to check out the happenings and booked a plane ticket.  My dad and I will be attending and I’ll give you all a full report when I get back.  For now, here are the facts:

• *  There are three different expos in California, Massachusetts, and Columbus.  Columbus is going to be held at the Ohio State Fairgrounds from April 8-11, 2010.
• *  Training clinics encompass many aspects of horsemanship, including various styles of riding, health, and nutrition topics.  Clinicians often accept riders to participate.  Just a couple of the wide variety of presenters:  Chris Cox, John Lyons, Sharon Camarillo, and Darley Newman.  Rescue groups, veterinarians, nutritionists, photographers, and business owners will also be presenting.  This is a packed schedule!  The hardest part is going to be choosing which demos to attend, as they are being run concurrently in several locations.
• *  A Trail Riding Pavilion contains everything you need to prepare you and your horse to hit the trails, from campers to supplies to trail/park information.  Looks like it will be a great resource!
• *  Special events  like Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy race and Pfizer’s Fantasia, both of which look like they’ll be exciting and fun to watch. 
• *  Trade show!! Need I say more?  Just a few of the myriad vendors:  Big Dee’s, Bitless Bridle, dac Horse Vitamins, Gray Horse Trading, Nutrena, SmartPak and many many more!  There are vendors for just about anything you can imagine.  See here for a full listing.  Vendors will be located in five exhibit halls as well as some outdoor areas – there is some hard core shopping to be had!
• *  The Breed Pavilion will highlight many different breeds of horses.  Here you can find breed association representatives as well as live exhibits.  I love wandering through to study all the different breeds I’m unfamiliar with.
• *  The Youth Pavilion is where the kids can hang out.  There will be lots of horsey fun, demonstrations, and activities geared toward kids here.  A few celebrity horses will be attending, including a couple of horses who have Breyer models in their likeness!

The Affaire is open each day at 9 and runs til 7:30 Thursday through Saturday (til 5 on Sunday).  Tickets are available for $14/day or 4 day pass for $48.  Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate (cash only).  The tickets include all clinics and demonstrations and entry to the trade show; the Fantasia show is a separate ticket purchase.

I can’t wait for this exciting event and am looking forward to reporting back on all the fun!  Are any of you going to be attending the Affaire?  If so, please let me know and maybe we can meet up!