New Clinicians And Companies At The
8th Annual Northwest Horse Fair And Expo.

The eighth year of the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo coming to Albany, Oregon, will once again proudly feature John Lyons along with seven other world class clinicians for the three day horse exposition. The Northwest Horse Fair & Expo, sponsored by Sundowner/B & V Enterprises, offers clinics, lectures and instruction in a variety of disciplines, an expanded commercial expo featuring the latest innovations in the equine industry as well as entertaining equine demonstrations representing breeds from around the world. Other featured clinicians include Curt Pate, Peggy Brown, Michael Richardson, Scot Hansen, Craig Cameron, Judith Cross-Strehlke and Alexsandra ‘Sandy’ Howard. Exhibitors will enjoy exciting special demonstrations from such acts as Big Horse Productions demonstrating breathtaking vaulting and Roman riding stunts, a large precision drill team and a quadrille team.

Returning to the expo, “America’s Most Trusted Horseman”, John Lyons will kick off the expo on Thursday, March 16th and present twice-daily clinics throughout the weekend. John’s extraordinary ability to inspire and teach people how to become partners with their horses has launched a global training career that has spanned over 25 years. As a pioneer in the clinician movement, John has been instrumental in changing the horse industry, forever. Many of today’s training principles found their roots in Lyon’s common-sense approach to people and horses. Over his career, John has had many highlights, which include co-authoring twenty books, producing over thirty DVD’s and receiving the North American Horseman’s Association Award for Outstanding Safety Management in the horse industry. As a true trailblazer in the industry, John has now joined The Horse TV Channel.

A Native Texan, Craig Cameron, will be demonstrating the style of horsemanship he has perfected in the last 23 years. Called the “public defender of the horse,” Craig dedicates himself to those who educate their horses by first educating themselves. At an age where most have long since retired the thought of starting colts, Craig Cameron known, as “The Cowboy’s Clinician,” starts hundreds of horses each year and conducts four-day clinics held at his ranches in Bluff Dale, TX and in Lincoln, NM. Cameron blends education with entertainment and covers a wide variety of topics from basic to advanced. Craig has created a program that builds confidence and trust between man and horse. Rather than fight the animal, he offers patience and understanding that leaves the horse wanting to do what is asked of him. In the early 80’s Craig was fortunate to meet a man named Ray Hunt who opened his eyes to the art of working through understanding when training horses. Building upon his experiences, Craig uses a philosophy of teaching that eliminates rough handling of horses earning him a well-deserved international following.

Peggy Brown brings driving clinics to this year’s expo. She is a Level IV Centered Riding(r) and Centered Driving(r) clinician and has taught in Europe, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in the USA. Peggy is certified as an Expert Instructor and an Instructor of Instructors by the American Riding Instructor Association. She holds a Bachelor degree in education and has trained horses and riders for more than 30 years at her stable, Walnut Hill Farm in Toledo, Ohio. Her strong belief in good foundation training and application of physical education techniques to riding and driving, has helped her students succeed at both local and national championship levels. Along with Susan Harris, Peggy is the co-author and producer of the best selling videos Anatomy In MotionTM The Visible Horse and Anatomy In MotionTM The Visible Rider. Peggy and her current horse, Ulie, compete in western, hunt seat, jumping, and dressage competitions as well as driving competitions, and are currently competing at the advanced level in combined driving. She has published articles in several equine magazines including The Whip and The Chronicle of the Horse. In her spare time she serves on the board of directors of The Toledo Area Humane Society and assists with the local saddle horse 4H program.

Michael Richardson’s presentation titled ‘Promoting Harmony Between Horses and Humans’ will certainly be memorable and useful for anyone with a horse. Richardson has always been actively involved with horses. In his youth and late teens, he was a competitive rider in the disciplines of jumping and hunting, and was also heavily involved with Pony Club. Outside the show arena, horses were a recreational outlet for the Richardson family and fox hunting was a regular group activity. Growing up in this equine culture offered the perfect opportunity for Richardson to nurture his natural talents and competitive spirit. His lifestyle also fostered a life long passion for both horses and their abilities -- a passion he would use to turn what most would consider a very negative life change into a very positive one. In 1986, a Jeep rollover accident almost ended Richardson’s life and left him a paraplegic. A good relationship between horse and human is necessary to build a partnership. Horses need to know exactly what is expected of them and riders must learn to communicate their expectations effectively. Almost everything about the way Michael handled horses changed after his injury, from the way he led a horse to the way he gave cues when riding. However the biggest change in Michael’s horsemanship was his attitude toward training horses. “When I was able-bodied, I could depend on my strength to accomplish things I should have been accomplishing through training. My injury prevents me from using this short cut,” says Michael. “Now I have to think through problems from both my standpoint and from the horse’s standpoint and then patiently find the best way for both of us to accomplish goals without the use of force.”

Bringing clinics for hunt seat and hunter over fences participants, Judith Cross-Strehlke is an international instructor, with a wide range of equine education. She started her professional career in dressage and combined training, and has trained under members of the U.S. Three Day Event Team. Her coaches have included Denny Emerson, Bruce Davidson, and Tad Coffin. Judy is also a Level IV Advanced “Centered Riding” Instructor, one of only 12 in the United States and Europe. Judy has trained with Sally Swift, Centered Riding” founder, for over 20 years. Judy started and coached the University of Maine’s intercollegiate team from 1996 to 1999. Judy is also an advanced instructor for the North American Riding for the handicapped. She created the first therapeutic riding program in Maine in 1984. She’s active in partnering with horses to work with youth that are from “High Risk” environments from the juvenile justice system, in the foster care system, and children with emotional and behavioral challenges in the local school system. She teaches “Centered Riding” techniques to instructors in the therapeutic riding field. Together with husband Bob, Judy currently owns and operates Northern Maine Riding Adventures in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine.

Curt Pate, a Montana native, grew up around horses in a working ranch setting. He had a constant curiosity about how to work with horses and has used that curiosity to fashion himself into a great horse trainer and clinician. He participated in rodeo for a number of years, announced professional rodeo, and was an auctioneer. Today, Curt devotes himself to training horses using techniques he learned while attending Buck Brannaman clinics as a young man. He has been training horses for most of his life, and was a technical advisor for the movie “The Horse Whisperer,” along with Brannaman. Curt has committed himself to helping the horse by helping people. The techniques he utilizes are relatively simple for the horse owner to teach and easy for the horse to learn, yet very effective. Curt believes that anyone can become a good horseman or woman with the knowledge and dedication. Curt believes firmly in the concept of ‘Low Stress Horsemanship’. During the expo, Curt will give presentations on Ranch Horsemanship including one day of working cattle.

Scot Hansen brings a new twist to the Northwest Horse Fair & Expo with his demonstrations on “Self-Defense for Trail Riders” and lectures regarding “The Making of a Police Horse”. As a retired mounted police officer, Hansen teaches how to recognize possible predators on the trails and how to avoid and defeat an attack. He also instructs riders on how to prepare their horses for the unexpected, how to use their horse to their advantage, and how to handle various obstacles. Scot Hansen is a retired mounted police officer who trained officers and horses, purchased remounts, and worked the streets. During this time, he had the opportunity to ride horses in and around obstacles that the average person never encounters. He has ridden horses through difficult spots like railroad yards, tunnels, freeways, bars, crowd control, stadiums, fireworks, and under hovering helicopters. Besides his street work, Scot has ridden horses from the beaches and ocean shores of California, to the mountains in Montana.

Scot has learned his trade through numerous schools and clinics and most of all by “living it.” He attended the San Jose Mounted Police School and the RCMP Riding School in Ottawa, Ontario. He has participated in numerous clinics and training with many of today’s top Natural Horsemanship clinicians. In addition to those skills, he has also had training from classical dressage instructors and has a good working knowledge of dressage. He has participated in brandings, team penning, trail riding, and packing. This broad background gives Scot a vast working knowledge of what it takes to have a horse perform in a variety of disciplines and environments. Scot believes that spending time with horses should be fun and safe.

Alexsandra “Sandy” Howard has a long and successful equestrian career including representing the USA in international dressage competitions (Olympic and World Championships) on three European tours. Her outstanding California-bred Thoroughbred gelding Bull Market was one of the powerhouses of US dressage during the 70’s and 80’s and helped to get dressage freestyle started in this country with electrifying performances at Devon, Knoll Farm and IEO York. She developed the horses Maxel, William, and Leverage to FEI levels before they moved onto rewarding careers as schoolmasters for other riders.

An “S” level judge, Sandy regularly conducts “L” judge learning programs as a USDF Faculty member in addition to regular judging duties. In 1990, intrigued by the questions posed during a CDS Annual Meeting lecture, she began a very rewarding collaboration with Mary Wanless on developing an advanced understanding of the biomechanics of the effective dressage seat. She clinics around the States incorporating this revolutionary approach with traditional dressage training teaching riders of all levels.

Rounding out the excitement, Rick Lamb, host of the popular radio program, The Horse Show will offer informative lectures and conduct live interviews with several of our clinicians, which are part interview and part audience Question and Answer session. A lifelong horse lover, Rick has been the guiding force behind Lambchops Studios, one of the country’s top audio production companies. The Horse Show with Rick Lamb is a two-hour weekly syndicated program on horses that has garnered six national awards since it’s inception in 1997. In 1999 The Horse Show Minute, a weekly syndicated radio feature was created. Today Rick is heard on 130 radio stations and the Internet, and appears at numerous horse expos and special events each year. Also an author of a monthly column in Horse & Rider magazine, Rick’s first book, The Revolution in Horsemanship, co-authored by Dr. Robert M. Miller, came out to rave reviews in late 2004. His second book, Horse Smarts for the Busy Rider was released in early 2006.

The Northwest Horse Fair and Expo, presented by Sundowner/B & V Enterprises, opens its run Thursday evening at 4pm with a special extended session with John Lyons on “Starting the Unbroke Horse”. Then the Expo opens Friday, March 17th at 10am at the Fair and Expo Center in Albany with a complete schedule of educational clinics, entertaining demonstrations and informative lectures running throughout the weekend.

Each clinician will offer multiple presentations in two arenas and several meeting rooms at the Linn County Fairgrounds, so attendees have several opportunities to see and hear each of them, as well as see the offerings of the commercial vendors offering everything for horse, rider, farm and home in the two expo halls at the facility. Throughout the weekend there is a Stallion Review and a Breed Showcase with over two dozen different breeds and types of horses to see including some rare breeds not normally seen in the Northwest. The Northwest Horse Fair and Expo is an excellent opportunity to improve your horsemanship skills whether you’re a beginner or expert rider. The list of clinicians ensures that riders of any discipline will learn new skills to improve their riding, safety and enjoyment of their horse. This Expo is designed to meet the needs of the expert as well as the beginning horse enthusiast.

The Expo hours are Friday, March 17th from 10am to 8pm, Saturday the 18th from 9am to 8pm and Sunday the 19th from 9am to 6pm. Advance tickets are available at Sundowner/B & V Enterprises in Albany, any Coastal Farm & Ranch store, and select retail outlets throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. Tickets are also available online at contact@coastalfarm.com or at the Linn County Fairgrounds office at 3700 Knox Butte Road in Albany.

The Northwest Horse Fair and Expo is sponsored by a variety of area companies along with Sundowner/B & V Enterprises, including Bandera Outfitters, Coastal Farm & Ranch, NW Rider Magazine, the official publication, and Guaranty Trailers & 5th Wheel Centers.

Advance tickets are $8/day for adults, $4/day for children 6-12 and children 5 and under admitted free. At the gate each day of the event cash only tickets are $10/day for adults and $5/day for children 6-12. All tickets are all inclusive for that day. No advance sale tickets will be accepted for the Thursday evening session. Tickets for Thursday are $10 at the gate (cash only). The Northwest Horse Fair and Expo is produced by John & Judith Cloe of Greencastle, Indiana. You can contact the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo at (765)655-2107 or via e-mail at jjcloe@equinepromotions.net or visit their website at http://www.equinepromotions.net.
Additional Information:
Lisa Pitts, Equine Promotions (765)655-2107
or jjcloe@equinepromotions.net
Oregon Contact and links: Scott Ingalls, Ingalls & Associates
(Press pass requests, interviews and photos
(541)791-1287 or scott@ingallsagency.com