The Inland Empire Arabian Horse Club
Spokane, Washington

The IEAHC is a large, progressive group of Arabian horse enthusiasts from all walks of life. Most of our members are located primarily in the Pacific Northwest, but we also have members located in California, Mexico, Indiana and Oregon.

For thirty-five consecutive years the organization has held horse shows in Spokane, Washington. In the past decade we have teamed up with the Shriners Hospital for Children Spokane Unit to help raise funds for the hospital. Our combined total is over $118,000 an achievement that has earned us a place in the prestigious Gold

Book Society. This year our Annual Back to Back Arabian Horse shows will be held May 24 and 26th at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds and admission is free. Spectators will be able to view the Arabian and Half Arabian horse in several different disciplines. Some of the more exciting classes to watch are the English performance, Native Costume and Trail Horse Competitions. To view the complete schedule of classes, please visit our website at www.ieahc.org and click on the horse show link.

Members from our organization are involved in the Regional Championship show held yearly in Puyallup, Washington as well as the U.S. National Championship show held in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Louisville, Kentucky. We send our club representatives, known as Regional delegates, to a yearly convention to represent our views in legislative action at the National level.

The business of putting on a Class A horse show is getting to be very expensive. The rising facility costs, Arabian legislative fees and overhead expenses are making in difficult for organizations to run a profitable horse show. While we are a non-profit organization, we need to make a profit on our horse shows to run our club for the entire year, as well as put the horse shows on in the future. We have seen several smaller clubs stop having horse shows because they simply can't afford it. Community support is critical through sponsorships and advertising. Without this outside funding we would not be able to provide this service for the Arabian horse community - the community that provides jobs for many businesses in the area, such as tack stores, feed stores, farriers, veterinarians, bedding suppliers and local publications.

The club also has a very active Youth Group headed up by leader, Sheri Boito. They attend educational clinics, participate in fund-raisers and go on farm tours as part of their efforts to learn more about the Arabian horse. This year the group will also be putting on an open horse show/playday event. Contact Sheri Boito for more information at 509-467-7246.

The club meets every third Saturday of the month at the North Spokane Library. We try to have an educational speaker present at each meeting to help keep us informed on issues ranging from breeding to farrier work to safety tips while trailering your horse. The balance of the year is sprinkled with trail rides, barbecues, clinics and hayrides.

If you are interested in joining this fun group, contact Membership Chairperson, Nancy Youmans at 509-466-1690 or visit our website at www.ieahc.org.