Wow! What a great weekend over in Nampa at the Idaho Horse Expo! The organizers really did a fantastic job with all of the presenters and demonstrations in addition to a wide array of vendors.
I was fortunate enough to be working in the Chris Cox Horsemanship Booth and it was set up right next to the main arena, so I was able to watch all the arena events. Chris did six demonstrations and all were incredible. He started with a Ground Manners clinic Friday morning, then a Natural Headset clinic that evening, one of the horses in this clinic was used later in the drill team and we could all see the improvement. I hope the young owner continues with Chris’s techniques, if she does, her horse will thank her.
Saturday morning Chris gave a presentation on Building Rider Confidence. This was a real crowd pleaser. The two ladies who volunteered for the clinic were great sports and listened to everything Chris said. They were very coachable and both were loping confidently by the end of the session. Saturday afternoon’s clinic was Colt Starting and Chris was given a big 3 year old bay roan filly to work with. She was challenging, but with his tried and true strategies, she settled down to the crowd, was paying close attention to Chris and he saddled, mounted and rode her loping around the arena at the end of the session. It is always inspiring to watch Chris work with colts.
Sunday found Chris giving a demonstration on how to use Mechanical Devices to train your horses. Cattle are very expensive, so if you can teach a horse to track a cow using a 4-wheeler and a roping sled, it will save on using up those costly cattle while training the basics of cow work. One of the gals from the Confidence clinic rode her horse and was chasing the dummy cow as Chris talked her through proper position and speed. She was grinning from ear to ear, I think she gained a boatful of confidence this weekend. Chris’s final demonstration was Refining the Performance Horse. He worked with riders who each had a different maneuver that they wanted to perfect…slide stops, spins, natural head sets. It was a great demonstration.
In addition to the featured horseman Chris Cox, several other local and nearby trainers and horsemen and women gave very informational and enjoyable demonstrations. The crowd was appreciative of all of their efforts.
Alice Trindle gave several presentations both in the arena and round pen on horseback and even out on the lawn with a group of folks learning good riding position without horses. She is a very good teacher and I could see the people listening to her were really grasping the ideas she was sharing.
Local trainer Shannon Allison also gave several demonstrations throughout the weekend. I most enjoyed watching him as one of the participants in Chris’s Performance Horse clinic. Shannon was riding a young mare that was really not understanding where she should be carrying her head. With Chris coaching, Shannon was able to make a major breakthrough with this nice young horse and she relaxed into Shannon’s hands and he was one happy trainer. I know he was very grateful for the lesson from Chris, and I am positive he will take what he learned and pass it on to not only the horses he trains but also their owners.
Henry Nable, Dee Craig, Julia Bell and Jeff Spencer also gave presentations.
The crowd was further entertained by the Southern Comfort Gaited Riding Group who showed the versatility of the gaited horse with several of their members showing off what their own horses could do. It was very enlightening to me, I have never done much with gaited horses and enjoyed watching them.
Another fun presentation was the Stallions on Parade. There was a beautiful liver chestnut Blazer Stallion, Tonka’s Legacy, that was very flashy and fun to watch. Judge Boon was a blue roan Quarter Horse stud that showed off his reining moves with style.
Each evening after the last Chris Cox demonstration, Idaho’s Best Queens would lead a grand entry and would honor our flag with the multi-talented announcer, Hal, singing the National Anthem.
Eh Capa Bareback Riding group would perform with their horses bareback and bridleless. We were also entertained by two riding drill teams, the Leather Slappers and the Posse-ettes.
On Friday evening, the 2012 Breed Challenge was awesome. This was an entertaining and fun competition with ten registered purebred horses all performing in the main arena. The breeds were judged on their willingness to execute certain maneuvers and the smoothness of each as it pertained to that breed. Movements to included but were not limited to: Walk, Trot, Canter, Back, Side Pass, Pivot on Forehand , Pivot on Hindquarters . Riders were given the opportunity to show their horse individually, also.
One event that I wasn’t able to watch was the 2012 Supreme Cowboy Race. It was held outside in the Esther Simplot Eventing Arena at the Idaho Horse Park. Contestants were judged on challenges including water obstacles, vertical jumps, livestock, trail obstacles, rope work and much more. Although the race is a timed event, each obstacle was judged based on the horse’s confidence and athletic ability, and the skill and horsemanship of the rider. I spoke with one of the participants and she said it was a great competition and everyone had a good time.
All in all, I think the 2012 Idaho Horse Expo was an amazing success. I’ll be back next year for sure!
To find out what Natural Horsemanship Events are going on around the country, check out my Events Calendar
Naturally,
Susan
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