High School Rodeo,
Nationally Known Experts,
Special Demos and More
Highlight MHC's Horse Expo 2000

Why come to MSU's Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education on March 10, 11 and 12th, 2000? Do you want to see an exciting Michigan High School Rodeo Association Rodeo? Attend a variety of education seminars? See clinics, demonstrations and seminars conducted by nationally known and highly respected experts in the equine world? Looking for information on a particular breed, style or discipline of riding? Are you a trail rider, pleasure or competitive? Do you just want to shop for something, anything, related to horses?

Any of the above is reason enough to attend the Michigan Horse Council's 17th annual International Stallion Exhibition and Trade Show, Horse Expo 2000, Spring Into the Millennium! An approved Michigan High School Rodeo Association Rodeo will be held on Friday evening, March 10th, beginning at 8:00 p.m. Best of all, there's no extra charge for the Rodeo, your admission to the Horse Expo is your ticket to the Rodeo, however seating in the Main Arena is limited, and is available on a first come basis! The Rodeo will feature Michigan's top high school rodeo competitors, including Earl Proctor, a 17 year old senior from Hillsdale, Michigan, who is the 1999 National Champion Bull Rider. Earl earned this honor at the week-long National High School Rodeo Finals last summer.

Why come to see a Don West seminar? Are you a member of the equine industry's fastest growing group – Trail Riders? Do you ride, or are you interested in a paso or naturally gaited horse? Do you love riding the back country? Have you ever thought about taking your horse on an overnight outing? If you find common ground with any of these questions, Don West, "Mr. Have Saddle-Will Travel", is your Learning Leader for Equine Adventure.

Don's saying, "a comfortable horse is a happy horse, and a happy horse makes for a happy rider," describes his approach to riding and training. As Don says, "If you're a rider – you're a trainer! Your job isn't to make each horse the best – it's to make the best of each horse." Come join Don West, America's Favorite Pleasure-Trail Riding Clinician at the MHC Horse Expo.

One of the highlights of the presentation "Visible Horse, Anatomy in Motion, presented by Susan Harris, an internationally recognized clinician, riding teacher, equestrian author and artist from Cortland, New York, is her "painted" horse, which can be seen throughout the weekend in the stall area. Susan uses a white, or near-white horse, and paints the bone and muscle structure on the appropriate areas of this horse, to graphically show how a horse uses its muscles and skeleton structure when in motion.

Barbra Schulte, from Brenham, Texas, and extremely well-received at her previous appearance, will give her presentations on From Fear to Feel, Ride with Confidence in any Situation; as well as others relating to cool strategies, balancing riding and your personal life, and mental skills for both the everyday rider and the serious competitor, have received popular acclaim at high-profile equine events throughout the country.

Other Main Arena demonstrations will include a Driving Demonstration, featuring a variety of hitches and vehicles, presented by the Michigan Horse-Drawn Vehicle Association; Dressage and High School performances to music, featuring Robin Hahn and her Lippizan, Bona Dira. Michigan's own military mounted unit, the Blue Devils Horse Troop, from the 645th Area Support Group will present the colors on Saturday afternoon. There will be a "mini-parade" showcasing the Michigan Parades Into the 21st Century Parade, held each May in Lansing, as well as a variety of other breed and special demonstrations and exhibitions.

The extremely popular Trails Area is again being expanded, with many new and innovative ideas, information and "mini" seminars planned for this area. All Trail Riding and Trail Support groups have been invited to participate in this area, with informational literature and displays pertaining to their particular interest and area. If your group did not participate in last year's Expo, contact Trails Chairman, Wayne Gastfield, (231) 924-2605 for information.

See these magnificent horses on the Stallion Avenue up close and personal in their stalls, or watch them perform in the arena during their "presentation" times (twice during the weekend)! The wide variety of breeds in Michigan are featured, ranging from Minatures to Draft, and almost everything in between.A Barrel Racing contest will be held on Saturday evening, beginning at 6:30, presented and approved by the National Barrel Horse Association. Thrill to these speedy and quick-footed horses as they race around the barrels, vying for the fastest time!

New this year will be the addition of a round pen in the Auditorium, allowing live-horse demonstrations in this area, as well as seminars and lectures by well-known clinicians and experts in various horse fields. AND – the door prize for the weekend is this ROUND PEN! This 60-foot round pen, with a ride-through gate will be awarded to the person's name on the winning ticket! This outstanding door prize has been made available through the generosity of Stuart Pletcher's LB's Land and Cattle Company!

Other featured people in the Auditorium will include Trevor Walton, with informative sessions on what it takes to win in Showmanship. Jim Kellogg will put together beautiful Arabian costumes, discuss what colors go with which horses, and actually showcase some of these on horses during his Sunday seminar on Arabian Costumes.

The new Sports Medicine Research Facility at Michigan State will be showcased by Dr. Hilary Clayton; and our very popular Dr. Ken Gallagher will discuss Nutrition for Horses. Another featured expert in the field will address the concerns regarding Infectious Diseases in Horses, including EVM and Lyme. Accessing and understanding the internet is the topic for Mary Chwalek, owner and founder of the award winning Equi-Sense web site. And if you just want to relax and enjoy yourself for a while, come and listen the the poetry and stories from Around the Campfire, as presented by Jim Masters and R.J. Smith.

And, close to every shopper's heart, is the largest Equine Trade Show in Michigan. Featuring everything you could want for your horse (and much that you didn't even know you needed), the variety, the "deals", the quality and quantity are all anyone could desire! From tack to clothing, trucks and trailers to barns and fencing, even ROUND PENS, fine art, jewelry, and much, much more, there's something for everyone! Even if you don't care for the demonstrations and educational seminars, come and shop! Where else can you find so much all in one place?

Please note, new this year, there will be NO dogs allowed in the Pavilion during the Expo. This decision was regretfully made by the Expo Committee, following problems and complaints in previous years. This policy will be enforced this year!

The Michigan Horse Council's 17th Annual International Stallion Exhibition and Trade Show (Horse Expo 2000, Spring Into The Millennium), will be held March 10, 11 and 12, 2000, at the new Pavilion at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. Hours on Friday are 1-8 p.m., with the High School Rodeo performance beginning at 8:00 p.m. in the Main Arena. Saturdays hours are 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Sunday's hours are 9 a.m. (with a Cowboy Church Service, conducted by the Great Lakes Cowboys For Christ, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium) until 5 p.m.

For information, contact Bev Grunheid, phone: (248) 437-1525, fax: (248) 437-8777;

or Marilyn Graff, phone or fax: (231) 821-2487.