Horse enthusiasts gather in front of a food vendor near a demonstration arena at Equine Affaire. At the expo, learning was in the air.

We all have a responsibility to continually learn about our horses, including their anatomy, behavior, and care. To further our education, we can turn to books, magazines, and now the Internet. However, I believe that there’s no better way to learn than to attend equine expos, seminars, and conferences, where you can meet and watch the experts.

Vanessa and I have attended many equine seminars. Some were small, such as those at our local feed store, sponsored by Purina. Others were more elaborate and farther away. We’ve also attended several American Endurance Ride Conference conventions in Reno, Nevada.

But for one reason or another, we never went to The Big One, Equine Affaire, billed as "The Nation’s Premiere Equestrian Gathering." It’s held once a year in three locations across the country: Pomona, California; Columbus, Ohio; and West Springfield, Massachusetts.

Last October, as we were having dinner at our friend Karen’s place, an opportunity to attend came our way. Karen’s sister, Mary, was visiting from Maine. Her company has had a booth selling unique knitwear at the Massachusetts expo since its inception in 1997. Karen and her friend/booth-helper, asked us to join them for the November 2007 event.

At first, I was hesitant to commit the time and resources needed to go. There was only one month until the event, and there were likely no motel rooms available near the event’s locale, the Eastern States Exposition Center. But the more I heard about the size of the show and what was to be offered, the more I wanted to attend.

During dessert, Mary mentioned that her booth was located next to The Trail Rider’s booth. I then decided I had a responsibility to be there. All the ladies agreed. "Then you can say that you’ve ‘been there,’ Ben," Karen concluded. Everyone laughed.

And finally, Mary offered to give us a hotel room reservation that she’d made for another friend who’d cancelled. "It’s at a Red Roof Inn," she said. "But it’s close and inexpensive." That sealed the deal.

Plan of Attack
Once it sunk in that we were going away for four days, we prepared for the trip. Vanessa asked our friends to watch the farm, and I secured the time away from my job at the history museum. Then we looked into what exactly was at the Massachusetts Equine Affaire.

I was amazed. The website told us there would be training clinics by 16 nationally known clinicians, including Becky Hart (see page 52), Julie Goodnight (on the cover this issue), Monty Roberts, and Richard Shrake. Industry pros would offer a combined 150 sessions on their ideas, methods, and techniques to horsepeople of all skill levels. Horse-trailer displays and farm-equipment exhibits would also be there.

Countless vendors would offer horse-related equipment, supplies, and information. Vendor booths would sell items in all five exhibit halls. I reckoned that we could probably buy anything equine there, so we started a list. Vanessa’s horse needed dewormer; I needed a bootjack. Thunder needed a new girth. I wanted to price a new set of farrier-quality hoof nippers.

Now that we’re practicing natural hoof care, we made a note to glean product information at the EasyCare and Hoofjack booths. The to-do list grew as we discovered the myriad of vendors who’d be presenting.

The expo’s Breed Pavilion would showcase dozens of horse breeds. I wanted to go there. For the kids, there would be a Youth Pavilion. The expo was a family event.

Then I saw the promo for the Pfizer Fantasia, a nightly musical celebration of the horse. It was pegged as a review of professional equestrian performers and championship horses choreographed to a variety of music styles. We absolutely had to go to that.

I also decided to contact Pat Eskew, The Trail Rider’s publisher, to see whether Vanessa and I could hook up with him there for a lunch. He thought that was a great idea. All was set.

At the 2007 Equine Affaire in West Springfield, Massachusetts, an Appaloosa in Native American attire captivates the crowd. Such expos can broaden your understanding of the horse.

A Whirlwind Experience
We left Thursday. The six-hour drive passed quickly, and we were soon at our motel. We dropped our bags and headed right for the event. It was located only five minutes down the road. When we arrived about 4 p.m., we drove into 40 acres of parked cars and witnessed a sea of people. Some were arriving; others were leaving, some with cart loads of horse stuff. The scene was unbelievable. Thousands of people were there, all having a common love of horses.

At the gate, I purchased two four-day passes at $40 each. They banded our wrists, and we entered the grounds. We weren’t disappointed.

As we proceeded to the Main Pavilion, I heard a chainsaw buzzing. On the right was a fellow carving horses and horse cameos on wood. Even though it was only the first day of the expo, many pieces were already marked "SOLD." I stopped to watch, but Vanessa tugged at my arm. "Come on, Ben, we’ve got to meet Karen and Mary."

We connected with the ladies, and I visited The Trail Rider booth. That night, we all went to the Pfizer Fantasia Show in the Coliseum. It was excellent. For 90 minutes, we were entertained by stunt riders and precision riding teams accompanied by music. It was worth every nickel.

For the next three days, we browsed the vendor booths in all five buildings, shopped, and attended seminars. On Friday morning, we saw a demonstration by Monty Roberts that was attended by several thousand people in the Coliseum. At noon, we met Pat Eskew and Tom Winsor for lunch. Tom is the president of Horse Media Group, The Trail Rider’s parent company.

The next day, we were entertained by a Cowboy Mounted Shooting demonstration and a kids’ stick horse rodeo.

Vanessa and I avoided the food vendors for the most part, opting to enjoy dinners at local restaurants. The peace and quiet of a candlelit corner table made the chaos and intensity of the day’s events seem distant. We slept like logs every night despite the motel’s thin walls.

On Sunday, we bid farewell to Karen and Mary, then headed west toward our home in Canandaigua, New York. The ride home was full of happy recollections. We both agreed that it was well worth the cost and effort.

Horse Sense
After attending Equine Affair and seeing all the experts, I came away with an observation. There’s a tremendous pool of equine knowledge, and it’s impossible to learn everything in a lifetime. However, we don’t have to know it all to have horse sense, we only need to gather knowledge along the way. Wisdom comes from being around horses, enjoying successes, and learning from mistakes. It’s also helpful if you know what you don’t know.