COLLEGE STATION – New horse owners and professionals are gearing up for the Texas Equine Industry Conference on Oct. 20-21 at Texas A&M University in College Station.
This year’s conference has been designed to meet the educational needs of everyone, according to Dr. Doug Householder, horse specialist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
“Texas A&M faculty members have worked with industry task forces to plan a unique conference with programs to fit several disciplines and expertise levels,” Householder said.
Beginning Oct. 20, attendees can hear the latest information on the breeding, care, management and behavior of horses. Participants will have their choice of a six-menu course (equine athletes, growing horse, lameness, health, theft prevention and behavior), or a Stock Horse of Texas (SHOT) horse training clinic.
Friday night includes a chuck wagon supper, videos of winning horses in 1940 and 2000, and an industry leader recognition ceremony.
The highlight of the evening, according to Householder, is a clinic hosted by Bob Avila of Yamhill, Ore., a champion horse trainer whose career spans more than 20 years. His most recent honor is winning the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) World’s Greatest Horseman Competition in Oklahoma in June. John Slack, also from Oregon, and NRHA Futurity winner, will help teach the clinic with Avila.
The Saturday, Oct. 21, conference includes three concurrent day-long programs. Ranchers, team penners, cutters, reiners, and cow horse enthusiasts can attend a horse training clinic (herd work, reined work and fence work), followed by competition of several finished Texas reined cow horses. A ranch horse competition judges’ seminar and SHOT meeting also are part of this program.
Also on Saturday, nationally-renown equine scientists will present the morning and afternoon sessions on race horses. A tour of specialized units at the College of Veterinary Medicine will also be offered.
The youth program will offer the veterinary school equine science learning opportunity, the “Outside/Inside of the Horse.” More than half of the 250 people who attended last year’s activity were adults and new horse owners. The afternoon live horse training clinic will be conducted by American Quarter Horse Association World Champion and Professional Horsewoman of the Year Nancy Cahill of Madisonville, Texas.
“Nancy is one of the best youth teachers in the U.S. because of her reputation, knowledge, skill and fun way of teaching in a way kids can understand,” says Ava Urbanovsky of Cypress, Texas, youth horse program chair.
Additional conference activities will be the second annual American Farm Bureau Federation Horse Conference expected to draw delegations from 25 states; a high school, 4-H leader and college equine science teacher’s forum.
Registration begins Sept. 1. Participants may register for one day ($30 for adults and $20 for youth), or both days ($60 for adults and $40 for youth). Further details are available through local Texas county Extension agents’ offices or on the conference Web site at http://animalscience-extension.tamu.edu/horses/teic.html.
Contact Doug Householder, conference coordinator, at (979) 845-1562 or Tonni Balas, conference assistant, at (979) 845-3360, for more information on the conference and trade show.
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