Camden hosts SC Horse Expo on Feb. 9 | News

The South Carolina Horsemen’s Association Expo will be held at the S.C. Equine Park in Camden Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. The day-long expo features a myriad of horse-related activities for the hobbyist to the professional rider.

The Expo has four presentations scheduled in the main arena, with concurrent demonstrations in separate areas. There will also be a horse health pavilion, children’s activities, and a silent auction along with numerous vendors.

The first demonstration will be the Knights of the Guild-East, a jousting team that brings to life the pageantry and skills of long-ago knights on horseback. They will be followed by internationally known three-day-event rider Lellie Ward, whose teaching methods advocate riding through knowledge. Her Equine/Human Proprioception, or “body awareness,” is sure to open the eyes of many skilled riders to a new method of communication with horses.

Endurance riding is among the fastest-growing equine sports in the country, so an introduction to that discipline is another of the topics in the main arena. Dr. Julia Fisher, an avid endurance competitor, will have a team from the American Endurance Ride Conference to demonstrate behind-the-scenes activities, from vet checks to rules of the ride, conditioning of horse and rider, the various distances involved, and a host of other topics that can help prepare riders for this exciting sport. A three-time National Endurance Champion will be the demo horse.

A number of demonstrations involving various breeds of horses will showcase the talents of
Arabians and half-Arabians, dressage, eventing, Natural Horsemanship, and therapeutic riding, to name a few. The horse health pavilion features the latest in veterinary, nutrition, and farrier knowledge, with opportunities for the public to ask top professionals questions.

Admission is $10 ($5 for SC Horse Council members), with memberships available on site. The horse council is celebrating its 20th year in 2013. A general membership meeting and election of officers will be held at 4 p.m.

For more information about the Expo go to www.schorsemenscouncil.org or call Expo Chairwoman Trisha Dingle at 803-428-5656.