The Annual Horsin Around Clinic was held February 12th-13th at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska. Horsin Around is an annual event that has been held since 1992, and has had approximately 10,000 spectators. Many great clinicians have come to Lincoln over the years like Nancy Cahill, Steve Heckaman, Cleve Wells, Lynn Palm, Jody Galyean and many others. Statistics have shown that participants from the clinics over the years have seen approximately $9 million dollars in increased value to their horses; this shows what a great value the annual Horsin Around Clinic has been.
This year the event was a huge success with approximately 275 spectators who came to see this year’s clinicians, Shane Dowdy and Jamie Hartman. These spectators came from many surrounding states and filled the stands both days. Shane kicked off the clinic by giving tips on starting and driving a young prospect; he demonstrated these techniques with a two-year-old horse that had only seven rides. He followed up the colt starting with methods of getting a prospect ready to show and went into explaining how he prepares his finished show horses for top-level competitions.
Next, Jamie Hartman stepped in to show spectators new ways to start a horse in showmanship, setting them up, fine-tuning the turn on their haunches, and proper pattern techniques. She helped volunteers perfect their skills when showing a showmanship horse, and ways to present them to the best of their abilities. Jamie also gave detailed instructions on western riding from starting the lead change to showing the finished horse. Jamie worked with three different riders at different levels helping them perfect their showing experience while demonstrating various methods to the audience. Both Jamie and Shane took numerous questions from the audience at the end of each session and were a bit hit.
Check out Shane Dowdy’s website for more information on future clinics, training techniques, and other information.
