February 11, 2013

Hoosier Horse Fair 2013

And now for some news!  Connor and I have been asked to represent the Section D Welsh Cob at this year's Hoosier Horse Fair - which is NOT the same weekend as Equine Affaire for the first time I can remember, so all you Indiana people should be there!  I'll be riding him in the Breed Pageant once per day, similar to what I did with his sire last year for the Parade of Stallions.

Connor's sire and I at the Hoosier Horse Fair, 2012
I have always loved hanging out at the Welsh booth at the Horse Fair and introducing people to the breed for the first time, and I am ecstatic that I get to do it with my little buddy this year.  For those of you not from the area, the Midwestern US is very much home to a Western-oriented, backyard cowboy sort of equine culture, and English sports are not typically well-represented at the HHF.  I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "Is that a Mustang?" while working the Welsh booth.  Small + lots of hair + big feet = Mustang,  I guess.  Everyone leaves a little more educated, though, and last year his breeder ran out of business cards after handing so many out to people that became interested in the breed.

By doing it, I will also be promoting his breeder, and giving Connor an excellent opportunity to get used to a high-pressure show type environment, minus the judging.  I had so much fun with Dundee last year - it's such a thrill to ride in front of a huge crowd without the pressure of judging, which is something I'm willing to bet few horse people get to experience.  It should be a great learning experience for Connor, too, as we ramp up his show career this summer; I bet he'll be too tired to spook at people by the third day of living in one of the exhibition halls at the state fairgrounds. :-)  Hooray for desensitization!

8 comments:

  1. What a great opportunity! Go Connor, following his sire's hoof prints :)

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  2. That is AWESOME and sounds so fun!

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  3. That would be amazing it would be such a good learning experience for Connor, it's a fantastic opportunity. And it sounds super fun! Congratulations!

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  4. We skipped HHF last year and went to EA in Ohio and I kind of missed going to our local expo. Now I have a great reason to go to both! So excited for you and Connor :)

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  5. Cool! Bet you meet lots of blog readers there!

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  6. This sounds fun... I want to go!

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  7. Kelly, you better be there! Hillary, you should come, I'd love to meet you and Connor's breeder is really good friends with Houston's breeder, she may even remember him. It's at the Indiana State Fairgrounds the first week of April. Let me know if you're coming!

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