guy mclean Archives - Equine Affaire

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Mar 3, 2023

WIN PRIZES AND TICKETS TO EQUINE AFFAIRE

LONDON, OH, March 3, 2023 – Looking for an opportunity to win cool prizes and share your opinions about your favorite equine expo at the same time? Then look no further than the official online Equine Affaire raffle! The raffle for the 2023 Equine Affaire in Ohio is now open. Enter online today or hand in your direct mailer form at the event, happening April 13-16, 2023, at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus!

Equine Affaire hosts raffles twice a year: once before our Ohio event and once before our Massachusetts event. Attendees and fans can enter to win cool prizes from some of the industry’s most beloved organizations and retailers. Past raffle prizes have included buckets from Farnam, equine hanging kits from Kong, boots and jackets from Outback Survival Gear, and more! We take pride in partnering with exceptional companies and organizations in order to bring you fun and useful prizes that can enrich your lives with your horses and elevate your equestrian experience.

Interested in entering this year’s raffle? Read on!

The raffle form for the 2023 Equine Affaire Raffle is officially open and available at https://equineaffaire.com/events/ohio/ohio-participate/ohio-win/ohio-free-raffle/. Participants can enter to win one of three $100 gift certificates to Bronco Western Supply; one model Breyer horse of Adamek, autographed by trainer and rider Sabine Desper; one of four $250 gift certificates to Back On Track USA; and one of ten pairs of single-day admission tickets to the 2024 Equine Affaire in Ohio! That’s 18 opportunities to win something, so why not?! It’s easy to enter and you need not be present to win. You can enter online now through April 16, 2023. All winners will be selected via randomized drawing and notified by April 30, 2023.

Once you’ve finished your raffle entry over at equineaffaire.com, you’re in the perfect place to check out the details for the 2023 Equine Affaire in Ohio! Our four-day horse expo is happening April 13-16, 2023, at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus. Come learn live and in person from Guy McLean, Jonathan Field, Julie Goodnight, Jason Irwin, and dozens of discipline-specific clinicians. Featuring hundreds of educational clinics, the largest equine-related trade show in the east, horses for sale and adoption from Ohio and surrounding states, exciting competitions, evening entertainment and a whole lot more, Equine Affaire is the go-to destination for equestrians and horseback riders of all ages, skill levels, and disciplines.

Prior to the 2022 event in Massachusetts, which happened in November at the Eastern States Exposition, almost 1,500 participants entered to win prizes from Smartpak, Outback Survival Gear, Farnam, and Equine Affaire. When the raffle ended, thirty entrants won big! Congratulations to all of our lucky winners.

The winners of five $100 gift certificates from Smartpak were Jessi Brewer of Fruitport, Michigan; Emily Malpino of Thetford Center, Vermont; Brittany Gagnon of Madison, Connecticut; Kelly Bronson of Glenmont, New York; and Andrea Arvanitis-Moses of Springfield, Massachusetts.

The winners of five $100 gift certificates from Outback Survival Gear were Elizabeth Poplawski of Webster, Massachusetts; Shannon Kowalski of Stuyvesant, New York; Leslie Hickman of Sand Fork, West Virginia; Eva Skrabl of Ansonia, Connecticut; and Rian Koenig of Milford, Connecticut.

The winners of ten Farnam product buckets were Hilary Dorazio of Wysox, Pennsylvania; Ellen Wilkie of Duanesburg, New York; Cecilia DesRochers of Ludlow, Massachusetts; Stacy Barrette of Danielson, Connecticut; Lauren Higham of LaGrangeville, New York; Tracy Ellis of Cortland, New York; Claudia Baker of Framingham, Massachusetts; Sandra Green of North Stratford, New Hampshire; Debbie Laquerre of Chicopee, Massachusetts; and Robert Bihler of Huntington, Massachusetts.

Finally, the winners of ten pairs of single-day admission tickets to the 2024 Equine Affaire in Massachusetts were Amy Conn of Rutland, Vermont; Rebecca Loyche of Old Chatham, New York; Judi Sasso of Bethany, Connecticut; Megan Rebele of Plymouth, New Hampshire; Karen Hackett of New Ipswich, New Hampshire; Maureen Fontneau of Chepachet, Rhode Island; Hilary Lind of Byfield, Massachusetts; Susan Rovinski of Chaplin, Connecticut; Patricia Ashworth of Jackson, New Hampshire; and Cathy Doucette of East Wareham, Massachusetts.

Elevating the equestrian experience since 1994, Equine Affaire is known as the nation’s premier equine exposition and equestrian gathering. Join us on April 13-16, 2023, at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio, for our next event, and help us celebrate the horse and everything that it represents to all of us! Purchase tickets, learn more about the event, and enter the raffle now at equineaffaire.com.

Equine Affaire is grateful to the companies who have supported the raffle year after year! Thank you to Smartpak, Outback Survival Gear, and Farnam for supporting our 2022 Massachusetts raffle, and to Bronco Western Supply, Sabine Desper, and Back On Track USA for supporting our 2023 Ohio raffle.

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Feb 8, 2023

WIN HEARTS WITH FANTASIA TICKETS

LONDON, OH, February 7, 2023 – Give your horse-crazy valentine the gift they really want this year: tickets to Fantasia! Attending Equine Affaire’s signature musical celebration of the horse in April is the perfect way to celebrate a mutual love for horses and enjoy an incredible date night. Combining the gorgeous moving art of equestrian performances with the joyful ebullience of a rock concert, Fantasia is a musical evening show that highlights the many graces and talents of horses and equestrians in a variety of disciplines. Tickets for this equine extravaganza are on sale now for three performances only, happening at 7:30 pm on April 13, 14, and 15, in the coliseum of the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio, during Equine Affaire. Seats are selling fast, so make your valentine’s day and buy your tickets today at equineaffaire.com!

Sponsored by Absorbine, Fantasia has been a beloved tradition for many horse lovers and their families for more than two decades. Appropriate for all ages, it’s the perfect bookend to a day spent taking in the sights at Equine Affaire – and a spectacular showcase of everything that made us fall in love with horses in the first place! This year, audiences will enjoy a slew of unforgettable performances that showcase the strength, agility, grace, beauty, and versatility of the horse. If you love exciting pyrotechnics, trick riding, great storytelling, the grace and freedom of a liberty act, Roman riding, drill teams, or just want to see something new and unexpected – Fantasia is the show for you! Read on for a special sneak peek into this spring’s class of Fantasia performers.

This year, audiences will get to enjoy performances by a combination of beloved veteran exhibitors and new acts who are guaranteed to become fan-favorites. No one sparkles under the spotlights quite like the Diamond D Cowgirls and their speedy mounts. Watch these incredible cowgirls and their stock horses weave mesmerizing patterns with dazzling precision throughout the coliseum. Hailing from Connecticut, NRHA professional Bryan Penquite will perform his own kind of pattern magic with a reining routine sure to thrill! Last year’s winner of the International Liberty Horse Association Freestyle Invitational, Melissa Barnett, will take center stage with a beautiful and moving liberty performance, guaranteed to inspire you to try out the incredible discipline of liberty with your own horses back home. Brand new to Fantasia, the Pegasus Riders are two eleven-year-old equestrian performers who specialize in trick riding, Roman riding, dance, aerial hammock, and equestrian liberty. These incredibly talented young equestriennes have performed at rodeos and expos all around the country, including Breyerfest 2022, the American Royal, and the Professional Armed Forces World Championship Rodeo. If Friesians are your one true love, then you’ll be delighted to watch as the Friesian Heritage Drill Team, their black coats gleaming, takes their turn under the spotlights. If your heart flutters to the beat of a different drum, then look out for the Knights of Iceland! These incredible riders and their fast, fiery mounts are back to raise spirits and set the coliseum dirt on fire – literally. And speaking of fire, daredevil Dusti Dickerson is bringing her Roman riding act to Ohio, complete with leaping through flames. Finally, America’s favorite Australian stockman, the inimitable Guy McLean, will bring audiences to their feet and lift hearts everywhere with his inspired poetry and incredible team of horses. All these acts and many more will be at the Ohio Expo Center in April for Fantasia – will you?

Buy your Fantasia tickets early, along with your general admission tickets to Equine Affaire, on our website at equineaffaire.com today. Tickets for Fantasia range in price from $14-$25. The doors to the coliseum will open at 6:45 pm each evening and the show begins promptly at 7:30 pm. If you plan to come with a group, call our office at (740) 845-0085, M-F, 9 am to 5 pm ET, to receive a discount on group tickets to Thursday night’s performance.

Equine Affaire is especially grateful to Absorbine for making this year’s show possible. To learn more about Equine Affaire or Fantasia, including details about our host hotels and other accommodations, visit www.equineaffaire.com or call our office at (740) 845-0085, 9:00am-5:00pm EST (M-F). For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @equineaffaire. We’d love to hear from you!

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Jan 18, 2023

LASSO YOUR RIDING ASPIRATIONS AT EQUINE AFFAIRE:

LONDON, OH, January 18, 2023 – Are you struggling to level up in the show ring, dealing with frustrations on the trail, or wishing you knew more in general about riding, training, and horsemanship? Insights into all these problems (and more!) are waiting for you at North America’s premier equine exposition and equestrian gathering.

This spring, Equine Affaire takes place on April 13-16, 2023, at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio. Featuring such industry standouts as Guy McLean, Julie Goodnight, Jonathan Field, and Jason Irwin, along with an outstanding class of discipline-specific presenters, this year’s clinic schedule abounds with learning opportunities – including the chance to Ride with a Pro! You can also apply to compete in the Versatile Horse & Rider Competition, slotted for Friday, April 14, and put your riding skills to the ultimate test during everybody’s favorite four-day equine extravaganza.

WANT TO RIDE WITH A PRO?

Whether you’re an English enthusiast, a Western devotee, a driving aficionado, or a connoisseur of multiple disciplines, there is an educational clinic – or two, or three – for you at Equine Affaire. Through Ride with a Pro, you can apply to participate in a session with the clinician of your choice. The following clinicians are hosting clinics on these topics and looking for riders:

Suzanne Galdun (Biomechanics)
Guy McLean (Colt Starting)
JJ Tate (Dressage)
Sterling Graburn (Driving)
Carl Bledsoe (Easy Gaited Horses)
Jonathan Field (General Training & Horsemanship)
Julie Goodnight (General Training & Horsemanship)
Jason Irwin (General Training & Horsemanship)
Nona Garson (Hunters/Jumpers)
Rita Timpanaro (Hunters/Jumpers)
Bronwyn Irwin (Pole Bending)
Brad Barkemeyer (Reined Cow Horse)
Bryan Penquite (Reining)
Wendy Murdoch (Rider Position and Sure Foot®)
Ali Kermeen (Working Equitation)
Jonathan Field (Yearlings and Weanlings)
Jason Irwin (Youth Riders & Trainers)

To apply to Ride with a Pro, visit equineaffaire.com (select the Ohio event, click “Participate,” and then “Ride with a Pro”) or contact Lori Helsel at lhelsel@equineaffaire.com. Fees for clinics range from $75 to $350. All clinic fees include participation in the clinic, admission to Equine Affaire on the day of the clinic, and twenty-four hours of stabling for your horse. Applications are due by February 15, 2023. Give your horse a spectacular Valentine’s Day present and apply today!

LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHALLENGE?

There’s another way to ride at Equine Affaire this spring – and this one might just put some change in your pocket and a ribbon around your horse’s neck! Apply to compete in the 2023 Versatile Horse and Rider Competition, which will take place on Friday, April 14, in the coliseum at the Ohio Expo Center. This exciting tournament – a fan-favorite event at Equine Affaire – affords riders the chance to display their skills and race the clock as they navigate a challenging set of obstacles and tasks.

With just three months to go until Equine Affaire, now is the perfect time to start a riding program geared towards boosting you and your horse’s versatility acumen. If you plan to ride in the VHRC, you can look forward to facing obstacles and tasks such as rollbacks, pole bending, backing through patterns, gymkhana games, gates, spooky objects, gait and lead changes, flexing, and much more. Contestants are judged on their horsemanship skills and athletic prowess as well as the communication between horse and rider. Cash and other prizes will be awarded to the top four riders, and the top ten riders receive ribbons.

The VHRC field is capped at twenty-five riders, so there’s no time to waste! Apply by February 15, 2023, by visiting equineaffaire.com and selecting the Ohio event, then “Participate,” and “Versatile Horse & Rider Competition.” Riders must be at least 18 years old to apply. Got questions? Email Coagi Long at clong@equineaffaire.com.

Equine Affaire gratefully acknowledges the generous sponsors who are making this year’s event possible: Absorbine, Rod’s, US Equestrian, Espana Silk, and GGT Footing. Visit our website (www.equineaffaire.com), follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @equineaffaire, or call our office at (740) 845-0085, 9:00am-5:00pm EST (M-F). We will see you at Equine Affaire in Ohio!

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