The Murdoch Method made a big splash with the SURE FOOT® Equine Stability Program this expo season. We traveled to four different expositions and two Conferences the first quarter of 2015!
We started in January at the Maryland Horse World Expo, followed by the United States Pony Club Annual Meeting in Arlington, Va. A short February break, then three in March: the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo, the American Hippotherapy Association International Conference and EQUITANA in Essen Germany (where SURE FOOT was nominated for the Innovation Award!). We wrapped it up with the Iowa Horse Fair in April!
Each event had its own highlights. In Maryland, it was a grumpy Appaloosa mare named Madison, who went from constantly pinning her ears at other horses to a completely a different horse with SURE FOOT. Her owner, Ri Ferguson says, “the changes in Madison have been amazing!”
The USPC Annual meeting was held in a hotel in Arlington, Va. I gave several lectures but, the one that had the most interest and excitement, was SURE FOOT for people! In one hour, 60 kids went through the Balance Trail as I showed them how to have a more secure riding position.
February was hectic, as we were getting ready for the three events in March. We had the SURE FOOT DVD subtitled in German for EQUITANA, while we made a plan to have Catherine Wycoff and Emily Luciano (my assistant) present SURE FOOT at the AHA meeting in Ft. Worth, Texas. Mary Jo Beckman and her family in Texas hosted everyone, while Catherine presented and Emily handled the booth because I headed off to EQUITANA for a 9-day marathon expo!
The PA Horse World Expo started out in a snowstorm. Fortunately, by the time we left the weather had improved. This Expo prepared us for the rest of March! The highlight was a little gray pony who got very upset during my jumping demo. I stopped to use SURE FOOT with him to help him calm down. In less than 3 minutes, he went from rearing to grazing. Emily captured this moment in a series of photos that became a major part of my slide show for EQUITANA!
Pam Thomson accompanied me to EQUITANA. There is no way I could have managed without her! Pam’s vast experience as a horse show mom really came in handy. She was so calm, patiently dealing with my late night typing, making sure that we kept track of the people who came by the booth, making sure I was fed and watered and providing moral support.
EQUITANA was amazing! There is no way to describe just how awesome that particular expo is. There are 17 buildings dedicated to horses and riders. There are at least eight different arenas with demonstrations every 15 – 30 minutes during the day. And then there is the HOP TOP show! Almost three hours of the most amazing performances—picture a cross between Cirque de Sole and Disneyland.
If you want to read more about my experience at EQUITANA go to the Murdoch Method Facebook page and scroll back to March. I posted a daily blog about the events of each day. In many ways, it was like being on Safari in Africa because each day’s events trumped the previous day. I am already looking forward to going back in 2017!
We wrapped up the Spring with a trip to Iowa. I was one of the main presenters at this expo. I had a great team: Barb Dow, Joanna Lo, Emily Luciano, and some local folks Dustin and Brandie Gean, Kay and Bill Shiverick, and Shellie Billings. The demos were great, and the people positive and friendly.
Traveling to expos and presenting would not be possible without the support of the organizers, demo riders, horses and staff, friends, fans and of course my primary Sherpa, Brad Schneider. While it was at times exhausting, it is so exciting to share my knowledge and the excitement of SURE FOOT with everyone who comes to the demos and stops by the booth. If I haven’t been to an expo near you, perhaps I will be in the future!
