Troy Compton, Leonard Berryhill, Tim Kimura Among Clinicians to Appear at Western States Horse Expo

Horse enthusiasts will bring their quest for knowledge when the best minds in the horse industry appear at the nation’s ultimate equine exposition, the Western States Horse Expo, Friday through Sunday, June 13-15 at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds, 1600 Exposition Blvd, Sacramento. Attendees will go back to their barn with a plethora of new information on horse care, riding, training and competition.

Featured all weekend will be a vast assortment of seminars and demonstrations from experts in the areas of reining cow horse, western pleasure, natural horsemanship, liberty horse training, barrel racing, dressage, three-day event, driving, jumping, trail, problem horses, and young horses. The Expo will further provide practical tips from equine physiology and nutrition, barn design, rider fitness, veterinary advice and more.

“We are committed to providing top notch clinicians that will be both educational and entertaining,” said Horse Expo Events President, Miki Nelsen. “It is our goal to bring practical information to our attendees to insure a safe and long lasting relationship with their equine partner.”

Bob Avila is a winner of 37 World Championships/Reserve World Championships and over 1.7 million dollars in events ranging from performance to halter. Avila is the first recipient of the America Quarter Horse Association Professional Horseman title, “World’s Greatest Horseman.” At the Arena, Avila will bring his “in demand” lead changing clinic and other essential body control and training insider tips.

Other expert demos featured in the Arena include:

Gina Miles, Olympic Silver Medalist, Pan American Gold and Bronze on Three Day Event will provide dressage and jumping tips as well as information on how to transition from one training task to another.

Susan Harris/Peggy Brown (Anatomy in Motion™), first area appearance in years! They will present their world-renowned Visible Horse demo, including painting the horse with the muscles and skeleton. Brown will do the Visible Rider demo, wearing the “skeleton suit” that shows how the rider’s body works with the horse. They will also provide tips on improving your hands, sitting and using your body effectively on the saddle.

Eitan Beth-Halachmy, known as the father of Cowboy Dressage, will focus on the proper training techniques for the horse and how to ride a good dressage test.

Richard Winters is a National Reining Cow Horse Association World Champion, an A rated judge, and host of HRTV’s Richard Winters Horsemanship currently running in the 6th season. Winters will address the skills that every horseman should learn and provide tips on gigging on the trail.

Muffy Seaton, four-time National Driving Champion who has put carriage driving on the map will share her expertise she has amassed in her lifetime of driving.

Troy Compton, a World and Congress Champion in West Pleasure, and Leonard Berryhill, Multi-AQHA and Palomino World Champion professional horseman, trainer and judge who has competed in multi-disciplines from tie-down roping to western pleasure, will appear together for the first time at the Expo demonstrating techniques of building a western pleasure horse that can develop into an all around performance horse.

Kalley Krickeberg, a specialist in young horses, problem horses and liberty training, will share invaluable tips for each of those specialties. Her foal demonstration will be the first of its kind at the Expo as she shows effective techniques for training a horse of any age to understand pressure better, become lighter and more willing student throughout his education.

Richard Shrake, a 45-year icon in the horse industry known for his Resistance Free® training and riding method, will provide information on evaluating your horse and advancing to the next level.

Brandi Lyons, the daughter of “the most trusted horseman in America,” John Lyons, will share her family’s 18-year legacy of training.

Marvin Pierce, an expert with stockdog training from starting a dog to cattle to fine-tuning and obedience challenges.

Kerry Kuhn, a lifelong horseman and successful clinician with a new weekly show on HRTV called Ridin’ Horses with Kerry Kuhn, will provide invaluable information on colt starting.

Tim Kimura, known as “Man of Trail”, is a renowned trail course designer for over 25 years will share information about course designs.

In the University area, attendees will receive a barn load of information, from tips on equine physiology and nutrition, saddle fitting, barn design, rider fitness and more. Scheduled to appear include: Tom Mayes, expert in integrated equine therapies providing a non-invasive, highly-effective approach for core causes in lameness, metabolic and emotional dysfunctions; California-based Max Wilcox, DVM, a 15-year horse shoer turned vet who practices equine sports medicine and surgery; Jessica Normand, Senior Director of Equine Health at SmartPak™ who oversees product development, horse owner education and internal horse health training; Ken Wegner, interior barn configuration expert; and several DVM’s from UC Davis, one of the top equine health university and research centers in the United States, will be presenting educational theories daily.

Need help getting back into the saddle? Kori Lyn Angers will be teaching a rider’s conditioning workout that can get you prepared to ride. Angers has worked with some of the top players in NBA, NHL, NFL, NCAA, as well as tennis, fencing and US Women’s Soccer pros. She has also worked for equine stars like Susan Hutchinson, Adrienne Dixon and Sean Leckie and just released a DVD “Riders Prep: Rider Conditioning Out of the Saddle.”

The Up Close and Personal sessions will offer attendees special question and answer sessions with some of their favorite clinicians in a comfortable, informal environment.

The Trail Symposium will feature experts who will provide tips on proper use and safety out on the trail. Teresa Spencer, author and owner of EquestiSafe, will speak about trail and barn safety and tools for the trail rider and disaster preparedness. Bonnie Davis, a 40-year horse camper veteran, will provide tips on horse camping. The California Highway Patrol will give invaluable tips on trailering safety, proper licensing and weight management. Back County Horsemen of California (BCHC) will host a Gentle Use Camp section that will include a Kid’s Corner and knot tying, high lines, and Dutch oven demonstrations throughout the weekend. BCHC will also speak about unique train riding encounters with black bears and mountain lions and provide common sense guidelines for the backcountry.

Now in its 16th year, Western States Horse Expo offers something for every level of horse enthusiast. Several popular returning attractions will include Young Rider Park, Draft Horses, Breed Revelation, Book Corral and the Great American Truck Display will be larger than ever.

Attendees will not want to miss two exciting evening events that will be returning to the Expo. On Friday at 7:00 p.m., The Magnificent Seven All-Around Stock Horse Championship will take place. This event will bring together top horseman from all over the U.S. and Canada to compete in a night of reining, cutting, roping and fence work with $25,000 in prize money awarded to the top seven contestants. The Ultimate Super Horse Challenge Finals will be Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and offer attendees with their horses or mules the chance to win big prizes and bragging rights as returns, offering a purse totaling over $5,000 in cash and prizes. A separate ticket is required for both events.

Are you in the market for a new horse? Prospective horse buyers will want to hitch up their horse trailers as the Horse Sale, presented by Dave Hammond Auctions, returns to the Expo on Sunday for its 15th year. With over 100 head horses available for purchase, attendees can bid on quality performance, ranch and trail horses.

Over 400 exhibits will offer the latest products and services for the horse and ranch from riding apparel, tack, nutrition, horse supplies and trailers to art, jewelry, arts and crafts and more.

Adult admission tickets are $18 per day or $45 for the full weekend. Tickets for children 13 years and under are $5 per day and children under six are admitted free. Magnificent 7 and Super Horse Challenge Finals admission tickets are $10. Show hours are Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. daily and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. For complete information on Western States Horse Expo call (800) 352-2411 or visit www.horsexpo.com.

Eventis produced by Horse Expo Events. Sponsors include: RAM Trucks, Farnam, Platinum Performance, Smartpak, Pyranha, and West Coast Equine Foundation. Media sponsors include Western Horseman, California Horsetrader, Horsetrader.com and Young Rider Magazine.