Despite being launched into a dubious economy, Horsemen’s Council of Illinois’ pre-Thanksgiving Equestrian Lifestyle Expo & Holiday Market is being called a success by the Council, presenters, vendors and attendees. 

Expo management surveyed vendors and attendees, asking them to complete questionnaires and to evaluate speakers. 

From a vendor: Just wanted to drop you a quick note this morning to say thank you so very much for having me at the Expo as a vendor. Your staff was always friendly and courteous. You all were a pleasure to deal with. What a beautiful venue! I had a very good show and LOTS & LOTS of traffic! 

(Expo was November 22-23, 2008 at Arlington Park Racecourse in Arlington Heights, a northwestern Chicago suburb.  The track has been described as a “jewel in Thoroughbred racing’s crown.” After its racing season, much of the first and second grandstand levels are cleared and the space devoted to a series of trade shows. Expo utilized the main level for booths and Level Two to create four areas for more than 40 educational presentations, two seminar halls, 10 round tables where attendees sat for 15 minutes with an expert before moving on to another table and expert, and a large theater area for other presentations.) 

From a Lisa Kemp roundtable attendee: I want to tell you that I so enjoyed both of your presentations and found them immensely informative. As someone new to the business of horses, but old in the love of them, the ideas you shared are especially appreciated.  I also found the participative nature of your format really effective by encouraging the sharing of resources and ideas by participants. I look forward to the next one! 

Presenters of basic and highly technical subjects universally told management that they were impressed with the large number of attendees and the quality of questions asked by seminar attendees. Among these presenters were Julie Goodnight of RFD-TV’s “Horse Master” program, Matthew Stewart, DVM, PhD, University or Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, and Asia Voight, Animal Planet’s “Pet Physic,” each of whom were welcomed by standing room only crowds in their 200-seat seminar halls. 

Were there any drawbacks to the first-year effort? “We would like to have had shorter food lines and better attendance on Saturday night,” said Joy Meierhans, Expo manager, “and we’re working to improve both of these situations for next year.” 

“Expo gave us exposure to a whole new group of horsemen and enthusiasts, many of whom never associated Horsemen’s Council of Illinois with the work we do on the industry’s behalf,” said Frank Bowman, HCI president. 

“There are more than 65,000 horses just in northern Illinois’ top 22 counties with an approximate 80/20 split between English and Western, an exact opposite of what we find downstate,” said Kirk Dailey, horse specialist for Expo sponsor Purina Mills. 

“We answered lots of questions and made many new friends at our booth,” Bowman said. 

HCI has sponsored Illinois Horse Fair at the state Fairgrounds in Springfield since 1988. “March 6 – 8, 2009 will mark our 20th anniversary,” Bowman said, explaining that Horse Fair’s 20th anniversary would have been last March, had not the fairgrounds been closed because of public safety issues. 

HCI’s Expo booth offered displays of the work the Council does and was staffed by directors eager to learn what’s on the mind of horsemen. In addition to Horse Fair and the Expo, Council efforts include lobbying activities in Springfield and on Capitol Hill, leadership summits, meetings with the American Horse Council, involvement with trails building and preservation, scholarship programs for horsemen, educators and veterinary students, liability insurance for members, a speakers bureau on equine environmental, legal and tax issues, and publication of education materials on subjects ranging from laws affecting horsemen in Illinois to buying your first horse to basic horse handling safety. 

- 121508 -