It’s not often that World and National Champion competitors from disciplines as diverse as cutting, dressage, reining, jumping, barrel racing, and driving as well as renowned trainers from other walks of horselife gather in one location to share their secrets. Even less often comes the chance to soak up all that learning for about what you’d spend on a movie ticket and a bucket of popcorn.

Just $16 gets you an all-access daily ticket to the 2010 edition of our country’s most successful and most enduring all-breed, all-discipline equine expo, Equine Affaire, which returns to Fairplex in Pomona, CA, Thursday–Sunday, February 4–7. Admission for kids age 7–12 is just $10, and tots ages 6 and under get in free.

Arrive early—doors open at 9:00 a.m.—because you’re going to want to plan your visit around Equine Affaire’s 150-plus educational sessions that will be presented in the Pfizer Arena and four other venues at the show. In 2010, Equine Affaire is proud to once again feature a blend of top-notch clinicians and presenters that will represent a broad spectrum of equestrian disciplines at their highest levels and ensure the presentation of a wide range of horse-training philosophies. World-class Arabian horse trainer Tommy Garland will make his debut appearance at the 2010 Equine Affaire. Tommy Garland is one of the most popular, up-and-coming clinicians in the equine industry and the host of a weekly television show titled CPR for the Horse & Rider on RFD-TV that promotes a training philosophy based on confidence, patience, and respect.

True-blue American cowboy and winner of various colt-starting challenges Ken McNabb will also appear for the first time in Pomona to share gentle methods for training horses and tips to help riders achieve their personal bests and forge better relationships with their horses. Richard Winters has distinguished himself as a champion trainer, competitor, and coach in the reined cow horse arena as well as the winner of colt-starting challenges, including the 2009 Road to the Horse. With masterful communication skills, he’ll share expertise garnered from decades of experience training hundreds of horses for many disciplines.

Craig Cameron will return by popular demand to Equine Affaire and bring with him his nationally-recognized and televised Extreme Cowboy Race. A life-long rancher, working cowboy, and horse trainer, Cameron has an engaging, motivational speaking style and plenty of practical horse training advice to share. Stacy Westfall was the first woman to compete in and win the Road to the Horse competition, but she is more widely-recognized for her impressive bridle-less freestyle reining presentations and her vast accomplishments in national reining events. At Equine Affaire she’ll share her expertise on horse training topics of a general nature as well as the sport she holds most dear—reining.

The English disciplines will be well-represented at Equine Affaire through sessions conducted by Jan Ebeling, Nick Karazissiz, and Hardy Zantke. Born in Germany, Jan Ebeling is a highly-successful international dressage rider who most recently represented the United States at the 2009 World Cup Dressage Finals in Las Vegas. Widely-recognized in the hunter-jumper community as an accomplished judge, trainer, and coach, Nick Karazissis is a tireless advocate within the hunter-jumper industry. Hardy Zantke ranks among the top combined driving competitors in North America and is a USEF “R” judge of combined driving who has promoted the sport of combined through service with the American Driving Society and the USEF and as an author and clinician.

If it is a Western discipline that suits your fancy, you won’t be disappointed at Equine Affaire. The exciting sport of cutting will be in the capable hands of Barbra Schulte who, in addition to being a professional cutting horse trainer, is a personal performance coach, author, equine consultant, and clinician. Barbra Schulte was the first woman to capture the crowns of the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Derby, NCHA Super Stakes Classic, and the August Futurity and she is also the recipient of the American Quarter Horse Association’s (AQHA) National Female Equestrian of the Year Award.

Sharon Camarillo qualified four times for the National Finals Rodeo and was inducted into both the National Cowgirl and the National Cowboy Halls of Fame before turning her attention to teaching and promoting the sport of barrel racing as a clinician, author, and motivational speaker. She’ll teach the ins and outs of both barrel racing and pole bending at Equine Affaire. Riders interested in honing their Western pleasure skills will not want to miss the clinics presented by Mark Shaffer. Shaffer is the producer of the Mechanics N Motion DVD series, and he and his horses have earned dozens of National, World, and NSBA titles in Appaloosa and Quarter Horse events.

Riders who spend more time on the trail than in the show arena will appreciate clinics presented by trail-riding and trail-safety specialist Scot Hansen. With more than 30 years of experience training gaited horses and numerous regional, national, and grand national championships to his credit, Larry Whitesell will show Equine Affaire attendees how to achieve correctness and lightness in gaited horses and create smoother, safer, and more dependable mounts.

From Arabians to Zebras (Well, Almost)
There may not be any zebras at Equine Affaire, but you’ll find representatives of a nice variety of equine breeds in Equine Affaire’s Breed Pavilion. Whether your heart beats faster for a Friesian or a Miniature, a competitive mount or a pleasure horse, you’ll find it at Equine Affaire—along with friendly, knowledgeable breeders and representatives who’ll answer your questions about characteristics, uses, bloodlines, and selection.

A Special Place for Trail Riding Enthusiasts
With retail and educational exhibits and a comprehensive program of demos on topics relating to trail riding and trail use, Equine Affaire’s new Trail Riding Pavilion will provide everything you need to enhance your trail riding experience! Whether you want to shop for a camper, research public trails, garner tips on trail riding safety, join a trail riding club, purchase a portable corral, or learn how to cook over a campfire, the Trail Riding Pavilion will be the place to prepare you and your horse to “hit the trail.”

Throw Your (Riding) Hat in the Ring
At Equine Affaire you may “Ride with the Best” in clinics on disciplines ranging from cutting, reining, and barrel racing to dressage, jumping, and driving. All of the clinicians presenting at the 2010 Equine Affaire will be accepting horses and riders to participate in their sessions, and clinic fees are remarkably reasonable. If you’d like to do more than spectate, visit www.equineaffaire.com for details on Equine Affaire’s Ride With The Best program and how to apply. The entry deadline is December 7, so don’t delay.

Horses and riders with the right stuff may also enter to compete in Craig Cameron’s exciting Extreme Cowboy Race, a timed and judged race through a challenging obstacle course that’s designed to test your all-around equestrian savvy and horsemanship skills. At stake are $4,250 in cash and other prizes and the title of Extreme Cowboy Race Champion. Qualifying rounds will be held on Thursday and Friday evenings...and the race finals will be on Saturday night. Thirty horse-and-rider teams will be selected by Craig Cameron to compete in the 2010 Extreme Cowboy Race—an event that packed the stands with an enthusiastic crowd at the 2009 Equine Affaire. If you’re ready to put your skills to the test, check out race details at www.equineaffaire.com and get your application in by December 7.

One-Stop Shopping for Horse Lovers
What’s a horse-fest without shopping? Lace up your most comfortable shoes and hoof it around Equine Affaire’s extensive trade show. This year’s event will feature more than 400 vendors offering everything from tack and apparel to horse-care items and trailers. Whether you’re planning to build a barn, replace a fence, or install a riding arena or shopping for new tack, attire, artwork or DVDs, you’ll find information, manufacturers, dealers, and other sources at Equine Affaire.

Equine Affaire 2010: the Best Value Ever
You can enjoy all that Equine Affaire has to offer—the clinics and seminars, the shopping, the specialty pavilions, and Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race in the evening for the price of a single-day or multi-day general admission ticket. Adult admission is only $16/day and youth (ages 7-12) tickets are only $10. Adult admission will include a free souvenir program that will serve as your event 411—everything you need to know to make the most of your visit. And why not use it to collect autographs or jot some notes about key learnings while you’re at it?

If one day at Equine Affaire is good, then more are certainly better. Choose from “The Weekender” three-day (Fri-Sat-Sun) ticket for just $40 (adults) or $25 (kids) or “The Eventer,” a four-day ticket for $50 (adults) or $30 (kids). For adults, that’s a savings of $8 or $14 per person over the daily rate.

Go ahead, round up your horsey friends and barn mates and make a getaway of it. Equine Affaire makes your trip even more affordable with special room blocks and discount rates at many area hotels. Or camp with hookups and a pool at the Fairplex KOA right across the street from the event grounds.

No doubt about it: If you love horses, you can’t afford to miss Equine Affaire 2010. Whether you’re a complete novice or an experienced equestrian, there’s a lot at Equine Affaire for you.

Those Who Make it Possible
Equine Affaire’s complement of educational activities and entertainment are made possible through generous sponsorships by dozens of equine-related companies and organizations. As you partake of all that Equine Affaire has to offer, please extend your thanks to Pfizer Animal Health, California Horsetrader, Farnam, Carson Trailer, FCP, Inc., North West Rubber Mats Ltd., All American Trailers, the United States Equestrian Federation, and the many other companies who have endorsed the educational mission of Equine Affaire through their sponsorships.

The Complete Scoop
The Equine Affaire website (www.equineaffaire.com) contains everything you need to make your visit a fun and successful one: admission details, directions, hotel listings, the latest roster of presenters, daily schedules, maps, and tips for making the most of your Equine Affaire experience. You can order advance tickets online or through the mail. If you’re not web-savvy, not to worry: call the Equine Affaire headquarters at (740) 845-0085 and speak to a member of our friendly, horse-loving staff, Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern.