Equine events and organizations around central Ohio

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New Albany Classic

Though the New Albany Classic Invitational Grand Prix & Family Day is mainly an equestrian and show jumping event in benefit of the Center for Family Safety and Healing, it includes a concert and family activities as well.

The Classic, which will be held Sept. 25, was named the No. 1 specialty equestrian event in the nation this year by the North American Riders Group.

“The entire day is organized around creating memories,” says Abigail Wexner, who started the event with her husband, Les, in 1998.

Despite its success – the Classic has raised over $25 million since its inception – Wexner says she was somewhat worried during the Classic’s first year.

“Frankly, 19 years ago when I first had the idea for the event, I wasn’t entirely certain it would work,” says Wexner. “We had about 3,500 people in attendance the first year and I was thrilled. Since then, we’ve grown attendance to between 15,000 and 18,000 every year.”

This year, up-and-coming country music superstar Kelsea Ballerini will perform at the Classic. In previous years, the Classic has boasted such big names as Ariana Grande, David Archuleta and the Jonas Brothers. The riders presenting at the Classic aren’t too shabby, either.

“We’re attracting some of the best riders in the world to New Albany and central Ohio,” says Wexner. “I’m so proud of the fact that we’re seeing show jumping develop in central Ohio.”

All American Quarter Horse Congress

The All American Quarter Horse Congress, which will be held Oct. 6-30, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The show is the largest single-breed horse show in the world, with more than 21,000 horse show entries, generating $225 million for the central Ohio economy. The event includes not only an all-around horse show, but cowboy mounted shooting and cattle roping, as well as shopping.

“It showcases the American quarter horse to the highest level,” says Barbara Aitken of the Ohio Quarter Horse Association’s marketing and communications department. “It is literally incomparable to any other quarter horse show in the world. For horse people in Ohio, it’s a privilege to have it in your back yard.”

The event will feature more than 225 vendors who come from all over the U.S. For Aitken, the wide variety of shopping options is one of the best parts of the event.

“The shopping is where it’s at. I save up my money every year,” she says. “You can spend hours wandering around.”

PBJ Connections

Pataskala-based PBJ Connections is putting an interesting twist on animal-assisted therapies.

There is widespread popularity of dogs trained for therapy, but PBJ Connections argues that horses can be just as good, and Executive Director Holly Jedlicka maintains that therapies aren’t “one size fits all” – that for people who don’t mesh with dog-assisted or other types of therapies, equine therapies may prove successful.

“Horses are prey animals, and they are also herd animals, and because of those two things, they react to their environment moment by moment,” says Jedlicka. “They’re giving really clear feedback to the client about their energy and their demeanor and their behavior.”

Because of horses’ intuitive and reactive natures, Jedlicka says, they are perfect animals to use for therapies. She recalls a story in which a client chose three horses standing far apart in a pasture to represent herself and her family members. After the client shared a story about wishing her family were closer, the horses had grouped up together in the pasture.

“They’re just that in tune with people’s energy and what they’re putting out there,” says Jedlicka.

Getting in the Saddle

With the abundance of stables offering riding lessons in central Ohio, it’s not hard to get in the saddle and start learning at any age. Stealaway, Inc. in Johnstown and Forest Brook Equestrian in New Albany are just two such stables, and see students of all ages take up riding.

“We have students literally from 4 to … their 60s,” says Angela Moore, owner of Stealaway. “We have a group of young kids, a group of teenagers and a group of adults.”

Kara Zarr, owner of Forest Brook Equestrian, highlights that horseback riding can be a great individual sport for youth who haven’t found interest in team sports, as well as a challenging workout.

“There’s a healthy mental bond with an animal and there’s a healthy aspect of doing a really difficult sport, staying fit,” Zarr says. “It’s great cardiovascular work.”

Moore and Zarr agree that horseback riding is a physically demanding sport, which surprises many people who may think horseback riding is as simple as riding in a car.

“You use muscles you probably don’t use in your everyday experiences,” says Moore. “Riding a horse stimulates those muscles.”

“You are actually attempting to ride and communicate with a living, breathing animal,” says Zarr. “It strengthens lower and upper back, and it takes patience and mental focus. It relieves a lot of stress.”

It’s a Science

For people who want to get a start in the equine industry, Otterbein University’s Equine Science program is worth looking into. The program offers three majors: pre-veterinarian, equine vet technician and equine business.

According to the American Horse Council, the equine industry contributes approximately $39 billion in direct economic impact to the U.S. economy, and Sheri Birmingham, associate professor and department chairwoman of the Equine Science program, says equine sciences are anything but limiting to students.

“It’s certainly one that I think more people need to tap into in terms of jobs, and it’s very diverse,” says Birmingham. “There’s a lot of various outlets for horses to be used.”

One outlet that Birmingham mentions is a study The Ohio State University is conducting at Otterbein’s facilities, focusing on the impact of horse therapies with dementia patients. But the possibilities don’t end there; graduates of the Equine Science program have gone into pharmaceuticals and managerial positions with horse-centered businesses as well.

“There are so many jobs that don’t have to do with riding. … (The industry) provides an outlet for the community to grow,” says Birmingham. “Anything from economics to mental health, I think, horses improve.”

Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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