FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: 
Marisa Vetula, Equine Affaire, Inc. 
Phone:  (740) 845-0085 ext. 110
Fax:  (740) 845-2879
mvetula@equineaffaire.com / www.equineaffaire.com

Photographs available.



Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race™ Returning to Equine Affaire
POMONA, CA, January 29–31, 2009—Equine Affaire, the premiere equine exposition and equestrian gathering in North America, will return to Fairplex in Pomona, CA, on January 29th through February 1st, 2009.  In addition to presenting an exceptional educational program, huge trade show, and Breed and Youth Pavilions, the management of Equine Affaire is once again teaming up with Craig Cameron to produce his trademarked Extreme Cowboy Race at the 2009 Equine Affaire on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings in the covered arena.    

The Extreme Cowboy Race—as seen on RFD-TV—is a timed and judged race through an obstacle course that is designed not only to push horse and rider teams out of their traditional “comfort zones,” but also to test communication between horse and rider and the horsemanship skills and athletic abilities of each competing team. Race contestants will compete for the title of “Extreme Cowboy Race Champion,” $4250 in cash, and other prizes. Equine Affaire attendees will enjoy the excitement of watching horse and rider teams negotiate a challenging obstacle course at top speeds. 

The Extreme Cowboy Race was created by Ryan Dohrn of HorseCity.com along with Craig Cameron, who has designed and hosted numerous races at his Double Horn Ranch in Bluffdale, TX, since 2005. HorseCity.com decided to name the event the Extreme Cowboy Race to challenge typical reality TV shows with an infusion of horseback riding thrills. Each season Craig Cameron assembles an impressive roster of competitors from around the country who compete for the title of Extreme Cowboy Race Champion. The Extreme Cowboy Race spans 15, 30-minute episodes featuring horse and rider teams as they complete the various rounds of the race course. The Extreme Cowboy Race airs on RFD-TV and is also available on HorseCity.com for those who do not have access to RFD-TV. 

In recent years, the Extreme Cowboy Race has also been presented as an event within other events across the country including Equine Affaires produced in both Ohio and California. The race was such a huge hit at the 2008 Equine Affaire in Pomona that work began immediately to bring the event back to Equine Affaire in 2009. 

As in 2008, the 2009 Extreme Cowboy Race will be conducted in Fairplex’s huge, covered arena and the race course will feature obstacles and activities such as ball maneuvering, trust exercises, working gates, jumping over obstacles, ground tying, technical patterns, and loading the horse into a trailer.  The race will be a timed event during which the performance of each horse and rider team will be judged on each obstacle for quality of horsemanship. Judges will award points on a scale of 1 to 10 for performance through each obstacle based on the following criteria:  horsemanship, cadence, control, horse’s attitude, and overall execution. Horses and riders will be required to complete each obstacle within a given time in order to receive points. If an obstacle is not completed within the given timeframe, the contestant will be flagged and must move on to the next obstacle. Times will be translated into points, and the team with the highest overall point score will be the 2009 Extreme Cowboy Race Champion.   

A maximum of 36 horse/rider teams will be selected to participate in the race. The first 18 teams will compete in the evening on Thursday, the remaining 18 qualifying runs will be held in the evening on Friday. The top 10 horse and rider teams plus one wild card team will advance to the Extreme Cowboy Race Challenge finals on Saturday night. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers. The first place team will receive $2,000 and earn the title of Extreme Cowboy Race Champion; the second place team will receive $1,500; and the third place team will receive $750. The cash prizes along with other valuable prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the final phase of the race on Saturday night. 

The Extreme Cowboy Race will be open to all riders age 18 years and older and horses of all breeds. All horse and rider teams will compete against each other; there will be no “divisions” based on gender or age. The entry fee for each horse/rider team is $375. Individual riders may compete with more than one horse in the race, but they must submit a separate application and fee for each horse they wish to enter in the race. Applications and videos are currently being received by Equine Affaire and forwarded to Craig Cameron who will select the 36 competitors for the race. The application deadline is December 8, 2008. To obtain all of the details on the race and an entry form, consult www.equineaffaire.com or www.craigcameron.com or contact Nicole Taylor at (740) 845-0085 ext. 123 or ntaylor@equineaffaire.com. 

The Equine Affaire production team is excited to once again host Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race at the 2009 Equine Affaire in California. Consult www.equineaffaire.com for detailed information on the California Equine Affaire as well as shows taking place November 13–16, 2008 in W. Springfield, MA, and April 2–5, 2009 in Columbus, OH.
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