Conference noted::equitation

1954.0. "Equitana '95" by FSAEUR::LOTHROP () Mon Mar 13 1995 07:10

    Hi everyone,
    
    It's been a while since I've written in here, but wanted to tell
    everyone about my experiences last week at Equitana '95 in Essen,
    Germany.
    
    I took Friday off from work, made a hotel reservation, grabbed my
    friend Darlene and went off to horsey mecca for two days.  It was well
    worth spending two whole days there.  It was so big, we didn't get to
    see everything.
    
    Equitana is held every couple of years here in Germany and is a big
    convention on horses and horse-related items.  The good news for the
    people in the US is that Equitana is scheduled to be held next year in
    Louisville, Kentucky from July 16-21st.  Don't miss a chance to go!
    
    Some of the highlights from my visit:
    
    I saw all kinds of breeds - from the typical German WB breeds that I'm
    already familiar with to Akhal-Tekkiners, Dartmoor ponies, Haflingers,
    Friesians, etc.  You name the breed and it was there.  There was a
    beautiful 3 week old Westfalen colt that I fell in love with, but his
    breeding was more pony-sized than my size :-(!
    
    They did demonstrations all day long in a big Hall with all of the
    breeds.  Since this year's theme was "Natural Living with Horses", I
    saw Pat Parelli give a demo with a 3 year old, and that was fascinating
    to watch his methods.  I bought his book and plan to read up on him. 
    The Germans are really into this Western stuff and I saw reining and
    cutting demonstrations.  Most of the vendors were selling Western gear,
    but at incredibly inflated prices (which didn't stop anyone from buying
    it).
    
    I had never seen Ortho-Flex saddles, but I got to sit in their dressage
    model and it was very comfy.  I'd definitely consider buying one - does
    anyone have one of their models?  Their technology was really
    impressive - I liked the way it distributed the weight from the rider
    throughout the larger panels.
    
    There was only one "new" product that I saw - a new kind of spurs. 
    These spurs were the same U-shape that goes around your ankle, but
    instead of "pokers" (e.g. rowels), they had a 1/2 inch thick of rubber
    moulded around the inside of the spur, so that you'd have a "rub"
    effect when you used them rather than poking the horse.  I'll try to
    draw a picture:
    
    			|         |  <-my crude attempt at making the
    			|         |    u-shape spur
    		      **\         /
    		      ***\_______/
    		      ******	  
                       ******
    
    The "*" is where the rubber goes, and this isn't exact.  The rubber is
    pretty thick and made of the same feel as a rubber feed tub, but
    thicker.  They're being marketed by a German company.  The guy said
    they'd be in German tack shops in the next few months and that some US
    dealers were very interested in this.  He said these kind of spurs
    would be good for a younger horse or a horse with extra sensitive
    sides.  I thought they'd be good for someone who doesn't have a
    confirmed lower leg, but needed the extra umph of a pair of spurs (what
    comes to mind is when I ride a humongous school horse here that's hard
    to get moving, but you don't want to be constantly poking them with a
    pair of spurs).
    
    There were lots of trailer dealers, barn construction dealers, feed
    dealers, etc.  I picked up as many brochures as I could carry each day
    and have been going through them at home.
    
    Mark your calendars for Louisville!
    
    Janet