CLINICS & CONTESTS

Colt Starting
Bring your colt for this fun, interactive clinic! Each day at 9 a.m. and again at 1:30 p.m., Ken McNabb will help you improve your techniques with your young horse. As a bonus, on Sunday at 1:30 p.m., you can compete in several skill-test activities with your newly started colt. This interactive demonstration includes personal assistance from Ken.  Please limit the horse's age to 3 years and younger.

Clinician: Ken McNabb
Limit: 8 Handlers

Fundamentals of Natural Riding
Starting at 9 a.m. and continuing at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, this one-day clinic with Julie Goodnight is designed for beginning riders looking to improve their horsemanship and relationship with their horse. Learn about natural riding and developing better communication and control with your horse. English and western riders welcome!

Clinician: Julie Goodnight
Limit: 15 Riders

Common Challenges and Solutions
English and western welcome! Starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, this morning Julie Goodnight clinic takes an in-depth look at proper English equitation and western horsemanship techniques. You'll also learn good horsemanship techniques to help you and your horse work through many common challenges. Some basic understanding of horsemanship is recommended.

Clinician: Julie Goodnight
Limit: 15 Riders

Improving Your Horse Under Saddle
Starting at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Julie will help you and your horse become better teammates under saddle. This clinic is open to all levels of riders. English and western riders welcome!

Clinician: Julie Goodnight
Limit: 15 Riders

Introducing the Rope
Learn how to properly hold and throw a rope so you and your horse can begin catching cattle. A majority of this clinic will be groundwork. No live cattle will be used. A must for beginners! If you own a breakaway honda, please bring it to the clinic.

Clinician: Curt Pate
Limit: 15 Riders

Groundworking the Rope
In this Curt Pate-led clinic, you and your horse will learn how to catch cattle. This clinic is held horseback and contains no live cattle. A must for beginners, but some cow knowledge from your horse is required. If you own a breakaway honda, please bring it to the clinic.

Clinician: Curt Pate
Limit: 15 Riders

Horseback With Cattle I & II
Learn proper techniques for use when culling, sorting and doctoring cattle. The morning portion of this clinic is a basic approach to these techniques, while the afternoon portion takes a more advanced look at helping you and your horse better understand how to approach, guide and sort cattle. Live cattle will be used. You and your horse must have some knowledge of working with cattle. If you own a breakaway honda, please bring it to the clinic.

Clinician: Curt Pate
Limit: 15 Riders Each Clinic

Advanced Ranch Roping
Fine-tune your roping and guiding techniques with cattle in this morning clinic. This fast-paced clinic teaches you how to better catch and sort cattle at full speed. Advanced knowledge of working with cattle is required. Please bring your own roping gear, as none will be provided.

Clinician: Curt Pate
Limit: 15 Riders

Versatility Ranch Horse Stockmanship Contest
Combine your cow skills with your roping skills with your horse skills and compete in this stockmanship contest.  Elements of the AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse event will be part of this contest. No AQHA points will be awarded but there are prizes for participants!

Limit: (advanced registration during the clinic)

Negotiating Trail Obstacles Clinic
Let Tammy Pate help you and your horse learn how to negotiate trail obstacles in this two-part clinic on Friday, which is for all levels of riders and horses. On Sunday, another advanced trail obstacles clinic will be held before the Trail competition in the afternoon. Obstacles used in the clinic may also appear in the competition! The competition starts Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Clinician: Tammy Pate
Limit: 20 Riders

Yoga Horsemanship
Your horse is your partner on the trail, in the barn or in the arena. Tammy teaches you how yoga can actually improve your horsemanship and enhance your horse-rider partnership! This clinic is a must for any horse owner!

Clinician: Tammy Pate
Limit: 20 Riders

Horsemanship for Horsewomen
Ladies, if you're interested in improving your horsemanship, this clinic's for you! Tammy has structured this clinic specifically for the female rider's health and fitness as she helps you refine your successful partnership with your first true love, your American Quarter Horse!

Clinician: Tammy Pate
Member/Nonmember Fee: $15/$20
Limit: 20 Riders

Youth Horsemanship Clinic
Daily clinics for youth riders and their horses. Expert guidance from one of the nation's leading equine youth educators, this clinic will help develop better skills and improve relationships through fun games, activities and education. The clinics will be organized by skill level. On Friday, participate in an intermediate walk-trot clinic in the morning or the more advanced walk, trot and canter lessons in the afternoon. Please, no green horses for the intermediate and advanced lessons!

Clinician: Christy Landwehr
Limit: 15 Riders

First-Time Riding Lesson
Take your first riding lesson Saturday or Sunday! Beginners work with Middle Tennessee State University school horses on Saturday. This clinic is only open to riders 6 through 16 years of age. 

Clinician: Christy Landwehr
Limit: 10 Riders

Horse Camping Skills Clinics
Acclaimed outdoor educator Bo Winslow will teach you the essential planning, preparation, packing and on-the-trail skills you need for any camping trip. Be sure to attend with your horse so you can begin preparing for your next vacation adventure – packing with your horse! Sign up for one, two or the whole series.

1. Preparing for the Trip – In this section, we are going to cover rules and regulations of the area you are going in.  This is important, as it will dictate many of the items you will need to take. We will also start to make a list of equipment and items we want on our trip, and start to see how all of those things will be organized so we can later put them on our pack horse. We will also pack our equipment into panniers.

2. Choosing the Right Horse – We will take a look at several horses and see what kind of conformation we are looking for in our pack animals and our riding animals. We will also cover how to work with a horse that has never been packed. We will cover how to lead your horse on the trail safely, as well as how to lead a string of horses.

3. Securing Horses at the Campsite – All of these sections are very hands-on, and this segment is no exception. We will be practicing knots of all kinds. Don’t be afraid if you don’t know any; we are here to teach. We will all tie a picket line that will secure several horses for the night. We will also show you many other ways to secure horses overnight so you can sleep with the confidence in knowing that you will have something to ride the next day.

4. Packing Your Horse – During this class, we will demonstrate and practice the Double Diamond Hitch and the Box Hitch, two very basic hitches used by many packers in the industry. By the end of this session, you will be able to tie each hitch with confidence.

5. Choosing Your Campsite – What are you are looking for in a campsite? We will cover many of the low-impact guidelines;  building a fire in tough conditions; how to set up camp; and how to take down a camp with the least amount of impact. 

6. Dutch-Oven Cooking – Participants will prepare a dish for everyone to sample. We will have several dutch ovens to work with and will prepare cobbler and biscuits.

Clinician: Bo Winslow
Limit: 20 Riders

Teaching "Whoa"
Join National Reining Horse Association Futurity champion and world-renowned horsewoman Stacy Westfall for this detailed clinic focused on the speed of your horse. The stop, the rollback and change in speed ends up being a large part of your score! Let tricks and tips from Stacy help you replace those minuses with plusses on your next reining scorecard!

Clinician: Stacy Westfall
Limit: 15 Riders

Spins & Steering
Join National Reining Horse Association Futurity champion and world-renowned horsewoman Stacy Westfall for this detailed clinic focused on turning your reining horse. The littlest of changes in your maneuvers or slightest change in your reins may mean a higher average on your next reining scorecard. Let tricks and tips from Stacy help you replace those minuses with plusses on your next reining scorecard!

Clinician: Stacy Westfall
Limit: 15 Riders

Body Control
Spinning, sliding and contolling your speed is only half the battle. In this clinic, you'll learn how the slightest change in your leg, hip and shoulder positioning might make a huge difference on your scorecard! Let tricks and tips from Stacy Westfall help you replace those minuses with plusses on your next reining scorecard!

Clinician: Stacy Westfall
Limit: 15 Riders

Putting It All Together
This clinic is unlike anything you've ever seen! We'll take Stacy Westfall's instruction on speed, turns and body positioning, and put it into practice! You'll be given a reining pattern, and during your execution of this pattern, you'll receive real-time instruction from Stacy and real-time scoring from a mystery judge! You'll have the chance to improve your score and learn how you match up against other competitors. Come to all her clinics or come just for this one and see if you have it all together!

Clinician: Stacy Westfall
Judge: Mystery Judge
Pattern: TBA
Limit: must register in advance