Equine Idol-ized March 16-18 at Volunteer Horse Fair
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Get ready for another “American Idol” showdown—only this time, nobody will have anything except nice things to say about the contestants, and there won’t be any singing.
“No, no singing, but don’t rule out dancing– if you want to think of dressage as a kind of dance,” says Margie Hunter, livestock marketing specialist with Tennessee Department of Agriculture. “These contestants are amateurs, but they’re still serious performers and will bring a lot of training and experience into the show ring.”
Dressage? Show ring?
“Tennessee’s Volunteer Horse Fair is going to participate in a new ‘Search for America’s Ultimate Horse Idol’ competition,” says Hunter. “A series of competitions is being held at major horse fairs across the U.S. throughout 2007 with the finalists of each competition coming together to vie for the title of America’s Ultimate Horse.
“This is going to be something to see, with a variety of breeds and disciplines all competing against each other. These horses could be any breed and could do anything—jumping, reining, dressage—for 5 minutes each, which will make for a really thrilling show.”
The annual Tennessee Volunteer Horse Fair will be held at the Williamson County Agricultural Exposition Park in Franklin, March 16-18. Price of admission is free for children age 3 and under; $5 for children ages 4 - 12; and $10 for adults. A one-day family “4-pack” pass is $25. Saturday events begin at 9 a.m.; Sunday’s events begin with a non-denominational worship service at 8 a.m.
The Volunteer Horse Fair is conducted by the Tennessee Horse Council, a not-for-profit organization representing all equine breeds and disciplines. Last year’s event drew more than 10,000 equine enthusiasts from Tennessee and surrounding states. The fair features three days of equine entertainment, educational seminars, demonstrations, one of the largest equine trade shows in the Southeast, breed presentations, contests and more.
In addition to the America’s Ultimate Horse Idol event on Friday at 4 p.m. in the Main Arena, the horse fair will kick off with a country music concert featuring “Eric Heatherly”, Brian Ashley Jones, Jypsi and Clue and the Honkytones. A special admission price of $5 per person covers all the events for the evening.
“Blanco,” the horse featured prominently in the recent “Lord of the Rings” films, will be on exhibit throughout the weekend.
Other fair events include the “All Breed Fun Show” to be held in the outdoor arena on Saturday, rain or shine. Educational seminars will be conducted by respected experts, including Richard Shrake. For those not yet ready to ride real equines, a stick-horse show complete with the crowning of Little Mr. and Miss Volunteer Horse Fair is an annual crowd pleaser.
A Sunday morning worship service will be followed by a full afternoon of clinics, demonstrations and seminars. Breed and stallion presentations will take both Saturday and Sunday.
Spectators can also take advantage of shopping at Tennessee’s largest equine trade fair, bid on unique equestrian items in a silent auction and enjoy Saturday’s headline entertainment event, “The Mane Performance.”
At the fair, the THC provides an event program with a complete schedule of events, information about entertainers and educators and a list of participating vendors.
“Horses can have so much strength and beauty and skill,” says Hunter, “and have figured so heavily in the development of human civilization. The horse has actually been idolized for thousands of years—this year’s horse fair will just help make it official.”
For more information including admission price details, contact the THC office at (615) 463-9752 or visit the Volunteer Horse Fair Web Site at www.volunteerhorsefair.com.