Who learned something at this year’s event? Everybody! And you can, too, with more great tips from QuarterFest clinicians.

By Holly Clanahan, America’s Horse editor

The envision! video crew films footage at QuarterFest that will later appear on americashorse.tv. Envision! also covered the event on Twitter. Check out their updates at www.twitter.com/envision and our own updates at www.twitter.com/americashorse.

The last day of QuarterFest: A Celebration of the American Quarter Horse is always a little bittersweet. After a long weekend of learning (coupled with two days of storms), participants were tired, for sure. But that seemed to be tempered by the excitement of all the new knowledge.  I talked to one woman who learned how to post for the first time after she took a clinic with Lynn Palm; another woman has been pining for years to learn about pack trips and camping skills from outdoor expert Bo Winslow; one woman loped with her horse for the first time after Julie Goodnight helped her gain confidence; and yet another family made a 20-hour drive from Michigan (made longer by some vehicle problems along the way) because they were so thrilled by the number of great clinicians at one event. The list goes on and on.

Meeting people like this — as well as the knowledge that I gained popping in and out of clinics for three days — sure makes it all worthwhile for me. Here’s a few of the tips I gleaned from QuarterFest, held April 30 – May 2 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee:

• AQHA Professional Horsewoman Stacy Westfall: When trotting circles and asking your horse to flex his neck, “if the ear is the first thing you see, he is not breaking at the poll.” If your horse is bent correctly, you should be able to see his eye. If you can’t, you may need to extend your inside arm straight out to the side, with no bending at the wrist or elbow.  “I’m going to put a cast on you,” Stacy kidded one rider who wasn’t keeping her arm straight enough. “If you’re doing this correctly and you haven’t done it much, it will burn the back of your arm.”
• AQHA Professional Horsewoman Lynn Palm: Don’t be afraid to give dressage a try. “It is very, very achieveable. It’s just about good riding and training. It’s about using seat, legs and hands, and riding with the horse in balance. And when the horse is in balance, he becomes willing.” The theories and training methods are applicable, she says, no matter if you ride in a western saddle or an English one.
• Also from Lynn: “Usually, if you can’t post the trot, you’re not doing it fast enough, or your horse is not forward enough.”
• AQHA Professional Horsewoman and Certified Horsemanship Association spokeswoman Julie Goodnight: “If I could do one thing to help horses, it would be to teach riders to slow down their hands.” Before you jerk on the bit, give your horse a chance to stop or turn by slowly moving your hand first. You can take a hold of him if he doesn’t respond, but give him a chance to respond first. It’s like your hands are moving in slow motion.
• Also from Julie: Imagine your horse is a long hallway with six doors, one at each end lengthwise, then two on each long side of the hall. The two doors on the ends represent the head and hindquarters, and the other doors represent the left and right shoulder and the left and right hip. Riding is a matter of opening and closing these doors, depending on which way you want your horse to move — forward, backward or sideways. “For every door you close, you have to open somewhere. You have to give the horse somewhere to go.”

Check out the sideshow to get a better taste of the third day of QuarterFest 2010. Click on the photos to read descriptions.

Rain didn’t dampen our spirits! The show goes on! Check out tips from the second day:

By Holly Clanahan, America’s Horse editor

Danvers Child, a certified journeyman farrier with the American Farriers Association, did a demonstration in the Youth and Conservation Center on Saturday. He's working on Seccos Rusty Bar, owned by Roger Elder of Maryville, Tennessee.

We endured thunderstorms — and even the threat of a tornado (which thankfully didn’t materialize) — during the second day of QuarterFest: A Celebration of the American Quarter Horse, which continues through Sunday in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. But the show went on. Clinics were all moved indoors, and the learning didn’t stop! Here on americashorsedaily.com, we’ll bring you a smattering of tips each day from clinicians at QuarterFest. It’s a cornucopia of equine knowledge, on a variety of topics:

• From camping expert Bo Winslow: There are two ways to tie horses on a line while you’re camping. A high line is tied between two trees (using tree savers so that bark is not rubbed off) and is high enough that horses can walk underneath it and not get the saddle horn caught. A picket line is about chest high to a horse. It’s good because it keeps horses on separate sides and can prevent some fights. But lines typically loosen and sag after they’ve been tied for a while, and picket lines — because they were already low — must be watched so that they don’t get dangerously low.
• From AQHA Professional Horsewoman and Certified Horsemanship Association spokeswoman Julie Goodnight: If your horse gets chargey, remember to check and release check and release, with your reins; don’t just hang on the reins. It’s also important to shift your weight back. If your weight comes forward, that’s telling the horse to go (while your hands are telling him to stop). It’s a bad position for the horse because there is no right answer.
• Also from Julie, on riding position: Don’t work so hard to get your heels down that you push your legs out in front of you. Legs too far forward is a common error, and it makes you a less effective rider. Remember to align shoulders, hips and heels.
• From AQHA Professional Horsewoman Stacy Westfall: If you want to do advanced work, focus on the basics. But don’t just lope a circle or do a transition and call it good. Work to master these moves.
• Also from Stacy: DVDs are a valuable learning tool. They give you a headstart if you’re going to ride in a clinic with someone who has a DVD available. Or, after you go home, a DVD is a good way to help you remember what learned in the clinic.

Check out the sideshow to get a better taste of the second day of QuarterFest 2010. Click on the photos to read descriptions.

Does it get any better than this? Beautiful weather and amazing clinics add up to lots of fun!

By Holly Clanahan, America’s Horse editor

Clinician Ken McNabb meets a lightly started 3-year-old horse that will be in his colt-starting clinic.

Each day, we’ll bring you a smattering of tips from clinicians at QuarterFest: A Celebration of the American Quarter Horse. It’s a cornucopia of equine knowledge here, on a variety of topics:

• Camping/packing expert Bo Winslow: When you’ve decided to do a pack trip into a new area, consider taking a couple of day trips there first, to scope out water sources and campsite locations.
• Trail obstacle clinician Tammy Pate, when a horse and rider were having difficulty negotiating a tough bridge: “This is not a battle. This is an opportunity, because the next time your horse feels this way (fearful), she’ll think you are her leader. It’s a partnership.”
• Certified Horsemanship Association instructor Christy Landwehr: Keep no more than one fist’s space between your horse’s belly and his back girth. Any more than that and he could potentially get a hind leg stuck through the low-hanging girth.
• Also from Christy: When adjusting a helmet, the “sliders” on each side of the harness should be right above your ears. If the harness is any looser than that, it may not protect you in the event of a fall — which defeats the purpose of a helmet.
• Colt-starting clinician KenMcNabb: “I treat a bosal or a halter or a bit the same way. I want my horse to respond when I touch him. When I take up on him … he’s bringing that nose to vertical and getting soft.”
• Also from Ken: If you’re working a colt from horseback (see the slideshow for examples), don’t wear your spurs. You don’t want the colt to jab himself, and your saddle horse should respond without them.

QuarterFest continues through Sunday, May 2, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, at Middle Tennessee State University. If you’re within driving distance, you don’t want to miss it!

Check out the sideshow to get a better taste of the first day of QuarterFest 2010. Click on the photos to read descriptions.

QuarterFest is over … but the knowledge we all gained lives on! Check out our wrapup photo gallery.

By Holly Clanahan, America’s Horse editor

MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE - QuarterFest most certainly brought out a plethora of emotions. The Extravaganza made us laugh with clever trick horses, oooh with talented displays of equine athleticism and tear up with a touching tribute to American troops.

And, really, the whole event was like that - some pretty deep moments when discussing what horses mean to us and how we can best train them to become true partners. And plenty of moments of levity, too.

So, is it any wonder that today … as we’re packing up to leave Murfreesboro, there’s more mixed emotion? The AQHA staff is pretty tired after some long days … but also exhilarated. We all met or reconnected with some wonderful people, we heard from participants who are urging us to make this an annual occurance (if you agree, please leave comments below!) and we, too, learned an awful lot.    

Watch americashorsedaily.com and the print version of America’s Horse magazine to learn more about QuarterFest and the great tips I’ve picked up here.

Check out the slideshow for more on QuarterFest.  Click on the photos to see the descriptive captions.

If you can’t be here in Murfreesboro, this is the next best thing! More photos from the event …

By Holly Clanahan, America’s Horse editor

MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE -  I’m a little sad … tomorrow’s the last day of QuarterFest. There’s so much to be learned here – and such a depth of knowledge from the clinicians – we could go another week!

But, alas, we’ll have to settle for three very full, fun-filled days.

On Saturday, I spent the day criss-crossing the Middle Tennessee State University equestrian center, going from one clinic to the next, picking up photos and tidbits of information from each one. And then … drum roll please … I ventured into our youth center just at the right time, as workers there were bagging up Easy Jet No Bake Cookies they had helped some children make. I did my part, relieving them of a couple of cookies so they wouldn’t have to wrap them.

Watch americashorsedaily.com and the print version of America’s Horse magazine to learn more about QuarterFest and the great tips I’ve picked up here.

Check out the slideshow for more on what’s happening at QuarterFest.  Click on the photos to see the descriptive captions.

QuarterFest’s first day had lots to offer. Check out the photo gallery!

By Holly Clanahan, America’s Horse editor

MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE -   Friday, it rained at QuarterFest. But then, as all clinics were moved indoors and the show carried on, it poured. Knowledge, that is.

Clinics hit a variety of topics, including colt starting, trail trial obstacles, horse camping, ranch roping, common equitation problems and much more. Demonstrations illustrated the Quarter Horse’s versatility as a charro rope horse, a mounted shooting horse, a cow horse and the list goes on.

The Friday-night Extravaganza just took my breath away. From the hilarious Tommie Turvey to the incredibly moving tribute to wounded warriors … it’s well worth attending. QuarterFest goers have just one more chance Saturday night!

If you’re anywhere in the vicinity of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, come join us! You can buy general admission tickets to QuarterFest at the gate.

Check out the slideshow for more on what’s happening at QuarterFest.  Click on the photos to see the descriptive captions.

Once you get to QuarterFest, enjoy our “spend-$50-get-free-Extravaganza-ticket offer.” It applies to ALL QuarterFest vendors! Yippie!!!

By the time you read this, QuarterFest will likely have kicked off. And we’re partying like it’s 2009. See our photo gallery for proof!

By Holly Clanahan, America’s Horse editor

MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE -   The gates of QuarterFest will be opening in just a few hours. The first clinics start at 9 a.m. Friday … and the excitement just keeps building! As part of our preparations today, we reviewed the schedule for the weekend. And the more closely you look at that – and the more you hear clinicians and AQHA staffers talking – the more you realize just how cool this event really is. There are so many interesting clinics and demos, you’d really like to be in at least three places at once!

And the Extravaganza? Holy cow. A rehearsal was held Thursday afternoon, and this collection of talent is nothing short of amazing. There’s a six-horse stagecoach hitch, chariot races, charro Jerry Diaz, a laugh-til-you-can’t-anymore performance by Tommie Turvey, reined cow horse demos by Bob Avila and Paul and Amy Bailey, music from the singing cowboys Sons of Tennessee … and much more! Tickets are value-priced at $15 or $20, and the experience honestly is worth several times that.

Performances will be held both Friday and Saturday nights, and tickets are still available. If you’re anywhere in the vicinity of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, you’d better just come on out! You can also buy general admission tickets to QuarterFest at the gate.

Check out the slideshow for more on what’s happening at QuarterFest.  Click on the photos to see the descriptive captions.

Once you get to QuarterFest, enjoy our “spend-$50-get-free-Extravaganza-ticket offer.” It applies to ALL QuarterFest vendors! Yippie!!!

American Quarter Horse fans are gathering for QuarterFest. Do you have your tickets?

To celebrate the final 10 days until QuarterFest opens with a bang on May 1 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, we’ve launched a “Top 10 Things About QuarterFest” Countdown.

QuarterFest Starts TOMORROW!

We can’t believe it’s really almost here. As of tomorrow, all the QuarterFest fun and excitement will be in full swing. That means it’s time to unveil what we believe is the number 1 very best thing about QuarterFest….

are you ready?

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Number 1: The opportunity to celebrate America’s Horse with other owners, riders and enthusiasts from across the world!

AQHA’s first equine expo, QuarterFest gives members and fans a unique opportunity to connect with one another. Moms from Colorado can meet 4-H leaders from Virginia, who can meet saddle makers from New Jersey and breeders from Michigan. QuarterFest will play host to people who are involved in all aspects of the horse industry. With a little luck, everyone can learn together and learn from each other.

Plus, did I mention the shopping?

Start off by seeing the latest looks at the QuarterFest Fashion show Friday and Saturday evening.

Have you had your eye on a pair of boots feature on hautecowgirl.com? Well by golly, I bet you can buy them at QuarterFest!

There will be vendors galore and you can enjoy our “spend $50-get-free-Extravaganza-ticket offer.” It applies to ALL QuarterFest vendors and Quarter Horse Outfitters www.aqhastore.com

There are so many things going on at QuarterFest that we can’t possibly list them all … but we’re going to try!

Don’t miss: QuarterFest trail ride, Equine Extravaganza, Dude Ranchers Association dude ranch vacation giveaway, QuarterFest Fashion Show, Hannah Montana’s horse, Blue Jeans, AQHA onsite services, trade fair with all the vendors, backcountry camping with Bo Winslow, clinics with Curt and Tammy Pate, Julie Goodnight, Jeff Griffith, Bob Avila, Christy Landwehr, Breyer Kids Corral, AQHA’s Conservation area, Wounded Warrior tribute, trail and ranch center, trail trials, Quarter Horse Outfitters store, American Quarter Horse “Walk of Fame,” Outlaw Annie, Tuff, the American Quarter Horse superstar from the award winning motion picture “Appaloosa” and and and so much more!

Today is the last day until QuarterFest: a three-day, education-packed celebration of the horse! That means you’d better get a move on it for those tickets. You still have time to make QuarterFest your destination for loads of horse education and FUN.

Get your tickets before they run out!

]]> http://americashorsedaily.com/top-10-things-about-quarterfest-number-1/feed/ 0 http://americashorsedaily.com/setting-up-for-quarterfest/ http://americashorsedaily.com/setting-up-for-quarterfest/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:01:15 +0000 holly http://americashorsedaily.com/?p=6054

The excitement builds, as Middle Tennessee State University morphs into QuarterFest headquarters. See photos of the conversion!

By Holly Clanahan, America’s Horse editor

MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE – I’m feeling like a little kid at Christmas … we’ve got movie horses rolling onto the grounds of QuarterFest, we have Hannah Montana banners, autographed posters and T-shirts, with which we’re promoting the appearance of her movie horse, “Blue Jeans,” and we’ve got the beginnings of a horsey shopping mecca, otherwise known as the QuarterFest trade show. It is e.x.c.i.t.i.n.g!!

Things are shaping up quickly around here, and the momentum is building.

The QuarterFest gates open tomorrow, May 1. There’s still time to get tickets to AQHA’s first equine expo in celebration of America’s Horse, but you’d better hurry!

If you can’t make it during the day on Friday, stop on by for the All-Star Equine Extravaganza.

You can also catch the show on Saturday night. The best words to describe this fantastic event for the whole family? Crazy! You’ll be treated to non-stop horsey action. If you have never seen Equine Extremist Tommie Turvey in real life, I’ve just got one thing to say to you; “extremist” doesn’t quite do him justice!

Check out the slideshow for more on what’s happening at QuarterFest.  Click on the photos to see the descriptive captions. And remember … the festivities start Friday.  If you’re not here already … you’ve still got time! It’s a party you don’t want to miss!

Once you get to QuarterFest, enjoy our “spend $50-get-free-Extravaganza-ticket offer.” It applies to ALL QuarterFest vendors! Yippie!!!

The great clinicians at QuarterFest will help improve your horsemanship.

To celebrate the final 10 days until QuarterFest opens with a bang on May 1 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, we’ve launched a “Top 10 Things About QuarterFest” Countdown.

Number 2: Clinics Galore

If you want to become a better horseman, then QuarterFest is the place for you. With your without a horse, you’ll get a chance to learn from clinics all weekend long. Education opportunities abount with nationally recognized clinics and AQHA Professional Horsemen.

Clinicians include Julie Goodnight, Bob Avila, Curt and Tammy Pate, a husband and wife from Newell, South Dakota; Jeff Griffith, Christy Landwehr and Bo Winslow. There will be a limited number of spots available for people to participate in clinics with their horses.

As of today, there are only TWO days until the start of QuarterFest: a three-day, education-packed celebration of the horse! That means you’d better get a move on it for those tickets. You still have time to make QuarterFest your destination for loads of horse education and FUN.

Get your tickets before they run out!

Hear the story of the American Quarter Horse like you’ve never heard or seen it before!

To celebrate the final 10 days until QuarterFest opens with a bang on May 1 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, we’ve launched a “Top 10 Things About QuarterFest” Countdown.

Number 3: All-Star Equine Extravaganza

At the QuarterFest Extravaganza, you’ll be amazed as the story of the American Quarter Horse is brought to life as never before!

Chariot races, a thundering six-horse stagecoach, laughter with Equine Extremist Tommie Turvey, stunning performances with Jerry and Staci Diaz, a special presentation of Tuff, the American Quarter Horse superstar from the award winning motion picture “Appaloosa,” and a tribute to our armed forces you will not forget will fill the Miller Coliseum.

Don’t miss this exciting event geared toward the whole family!

To make things even more exciting, May 1 and 2 you’ll have a chance win a trip to a Dude Ranchers Association dude ranch in Arizona or Colorado. The drawings will be held during the Extravaganza.

As of today, there are only three days until the start of QuarterFest: a three-day, education-packed celebration of the horse! That means you’d better get a move on it for those tickets. Don’t worry, it’s not too late to make QuarterFest your destination for loads of horse education and FUN.

Get your tickets before they run out!

It’s the best of both worlds! Meet Hannah Montana’s movie horse, Blue Jeans.

To celebrate the final 10 days until QuarterFest opens with a bang on May 1 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, we’ve launched a “Top 10 Things About QuarterFest” Countdown.

Number 4: Hannah Montana’s horse, Blue Jeans!

Your ticket to QuarterFest gives you the chance to rub elbows with some celebrities. Horse celebrities, that is!

Blue Jeans from Hannah Montana: The Movie, will be at QuarterFest. If you are coming, you can meet Blue Jeans, the movie star, while you’re there. You’ll even be able to get your picture taken with him!

The Hannah Montana movie was filmed mostly in and around Nashville, just about 20 miles from where Blue Jeans – who is registered with AQHA as Blue Steel Man – lives with his owner Bobby Brooks of Franklin, Tennessee. Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where QuarterFest will be held May 1-3, is just 30 miles from Nashville.

Another movie star will also be at QuarterFest…Keepin Charge, an American Quarter Horse who starred in “Appaloosa.” Keepin Charge is the son of Docs Keepin Time, who was featured in the movie “Black Beauty.”

As of today, there are only four days until the start of QuarterFest: a three-day, education-packed celebration of the horse! That means you’d better get a move on it for those tickets. Don’t worry, it’s not too late to make QuarterFest your destination for loads of horse education and FUN.

Hurry, tickets are going fast!