This fall, expand your horizons by learning from a plethora of horse trainers, equestrian coaches, world and national champions and more.
As the summer begins to cool and fall beckons, equestrians everywhere are looking forward to returning to Equine Affaire in Massachusetts. After hosting a successful virtual event last year, Equine Affaire will take place live and in-person on November 11-14, 2021, at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Dedicated to elevating the equestrian experience since 1994, Equine Affaire is the perfect event for equestrians of all disciplines and skill levels who love to learn.
This year, come prepared to enjoy more than 150 educational clinics, seminars, and demonstrations taught by dozens of the world’s most renowned horsemen and horsewomen. Presenters at Equine Affaire include World Champions, National Champions, Olympians, popular equestrian TV personalities, equestrian performers, authors, judges, veterinarians, professors and other top industry professionals. If you love horses and love to learn, there’s no better place to get a leg-up on your riding abilities, increase your knowledge of horsemanship and horse care and expand your equestrian horizons than Equine Affaire.
This year’s featured clinicians include Ken McNabb, Dan James, Lynn Palm and J.R. Robles, along with a host of other clinicians who will be teaching clinics on disciplines ranging from dressage and hunter under saddle to eventing and hunter/jumper to reining, ranch horse, trail, driving, and others. Read on to learn more about our featured presenters and for a full list of discipline-specific clinicians!
Ken McNabb is the all-American image of what a cowboy should be. With his wife and young sons, he continues the traditional ranching family lifestyle of his youth and trains horses on the McNabb ranch in the mountains of Wyoming. As a boy, McNabb knew he wanted to help improve the lives of others—and at the first horsemanship clinic he attended, he knew immediately that being a clinician was his life’s calling. For more than 20 years, McNabb has helped thousands of riders regain their childhood confidence with his easy to follow, step-by-step methods and gentle communication style. He shares his vast experience and knowledge of horses through clinics conducted across the country and his weekly show on RFD-TV, “Discovering the Horseman Within.” At this year’s Equine Affaire, Mr. McNabb will teach sessions on teaching your horse to stop, starting young horses under saddle and developing a responsive horse.
Born in Queensland, Australia on a small cattle farm, Dan James’ lifelong passion for horses began when he was just six weeks old. From his first pony to the first horse he started in his early teens, James’ hunger to learn about training has only increased. After studying at Longreach Pastoral College, James began traveling the world to gain a better understanding of horses. He learned from the best through experiences like starting colts in Hokkaido, Japan, and managing horses on a cattle station in Western Australia. James’ competitive accomplishments include being the 2012 Road to the Horse World Champion, the 2014 Freestyle Reining Champion at the Kentucky Reining Cup, a Mustang Million Finalist, winning the “Way of the Horse” at Equitana Asia Pacific, and representing Australia at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in reining. As a trainer, Mr. James first learned about liberty training from world renowned movie horse trainer, Heath Harris. From there, he quickly developed his own skills and trained liberty horses for television, movies, and photo shoots. Mr. James’ clinics at Equine Affaire will cover advanced liberty maneuvers, teaching lead changes, going bridleless and training movie horses.
For 50 years, Lynn Palm has championed the partnership of horse and rider. An international clinician, she travels extensively from her facilities at Fox Grove Farm in Ocala, FL, where she and her husband, Cyril Pittion-Rossillon, teach the fundamentals of their Palm Equestrian Academy. She is an American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) judge and holds her USEF “R” Western Dressage judges’ license. Continuing to compete in both United States Dressage Federation and Western Dressage Association of America shows, her competition record is second to none. Ms. Palm was a special guest performer at the 1996 Olympics, the 2010 World Equestrian Games, and the 2017 FEI World Cup Finals. In 2000 she was named AQHA Female Equestrian of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation. In 2003, she received Equine Affaire’s Exceptional Equestrian Educator Award, and in 2007, she became AQHA Horsewoman of the Year. Palm frequently contributes articles to leading equine publications along with maintaining an active online community. Her extensive educational library of DVDs and books can be found online at lynnpalm.com. At Equine Affaire, Palm will teach on topics such as refining communication with your horse through leg aids, improving your riding with Western dressage, the value of cross-training and riding with accuracy and precision.
Like many trainers, Jonath Robles grew up with a passion for horses and horse training. Though he put that on hold to attend the University of Oregon and earn a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, his education ultimately influenced his training methods. Mr. Robles researched why certain people were more successful in life than others—namely due to opportunity, education and having the right connections—and implemented those ideas in the world of horses. Out of J. R. Horse Training in Newberg, OR, Mr. Robles specializes in colt starting, western dressage, reining and working with “problem” horses. After being exposed to horse trainers that used a lot of old school cowboy training methods while growing up, Mr. Robles became fascinated with natural horsemanship, and uses it as the driving teaching method in his training. When he’s not training or teaching clinics, Mr. Robles enjoys competing in colt starting competitions. He has seen great success in that arena, including being named Colt Starting Reserve Champion during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2016. Plan to attend Mr. Robles’ clinics this fall on achieving better communication with your horse, teaching your horse to load into the trailer with ease and creating a better foundation for all disciplines.
Looking for discipline-specific clinics? This year, visitors to Equine Affaire will also learn from Lendon Gray (dressage), Jim Wofford (eventing), Laura Kelland-May (hunter/jumper), Bryan Penquite (reining and ranch horse), Stephen Hayes (dressage), Bob Giles (driving), Lynn Palm (Western dressage), Shaina Humphrey (hunter under saddle), Ed Dabney (trail and general horsemanship), Anita Howe (easy gaited horses), Karen Rohlf (biomechanics), Luke Reinbold (trail obstacles), Stephanie Lockhart-Hayes (working equitation), Wendy Murdoch (Surefoot, Murdoch method), Steven Stevens (general horsemanship), Sharon Wilsie (Horse Speak®), the Diamond D Cowgirls (intro to drill teams), Fred Win (para riding) and Kelley McCarty (sidesaddle). More clinicians and a final schedule of events will be announced in the coming months.
To learn more about Equine Affaire, bookmark equineaffaire.com and follow Equine Affaire on social media by searching for @equineaffaire on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Ready to plan your trip to Equine Affaire? Visit equineaffaire.com, select the “Massachusetts” event and visit “General Information” for all the details you need to know to go, including location and event hours, ticket sales, lodging, event maps and more.
Equine Affaire gratefully acknowledges the sponsors who have helped make the 2021 event possible: Absorbine®, US Equestrian, Farnam, Horizon Structures, GGT Footing, Nutrena®, Cowboy Magic and Mane N Tail.
CONTACT:
Allison Rehnborg, Marketing Coordinator
Equine Affaire, Inc.
Phone: (740) 845-0085 ext. 103
arehnborg@equineaffaire.com
www.equineaffaire.com
*Photos Available Upon Request