What Was Missing at the 2010 Midwest Horse Fair?

What Was Missing at the 2010 Midwest Horse Fair?

Spending four days at the 2010 Midwest Horse Fair (including the set-up day), along with some 50,000 other humans and perhaps 600 horses (not counting the rodeo stock), I enjoyed total immersion in things equestrian.

The Exposition Center at Madison’s Alliant Energy Center contained a veritable stampede of shoppers and souvenir-seekers. I had to chuckle to see browsers snatching up free bookmarks, candies, key rings, magnets, pens, pet foods, stickers, sweat scrapers and other advertising specialties.

Had saddle-up stars (such as Million Dollar Cowgirl Charmayne James, Olympian Steffen Peters, Road to the Horse champs Tommy Garland and Richard Winters, trick riders Tracy Porter and Tommie Turvey, and others) not been present to draw autograph and insight seekers away from the advertising booths, the product promoters might have run out of freebies.

Vendors hawked everything from saddles to stirrup irons, from leatherwares to logo tees, and from feeds to farms.

Perhaps one primo item was missing. Check out this horse-drawn Hummer from New York artist Jeremy Dean.

OK, maybe the horse-drawn Hummer would not have flown in the American Midwest.

Seriously, the Midwest Horse Fair was a 2010 highlight. According to testimonials from both vendors and shoppers, horse lovers seem to see an upwards transition (even if gradual) in the American economy.

Image:

Video screenshot

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