A sampling of this year’s acts at Horsin’ Around on Saturday Night includes:

• Elizabeth Shelley: Sidesaddle has long been a classic part of equestrian history. For hundreds of years ladies have ridden aside with elegance from the parks to the fox hunts on Saturdays. Throughout history many ladies abandoned their apron skirts and sidesaddles to make way for riding astride. Nowadays, one would be hard pressed to find a lady who still practices the timeless art of riding sidesaddle, but there are a few adventurous equestriennes who enjoy putting on a top hat, white tie, and tails. Putting on the Ritz is an essential part of lovely sidesaddle ride.

• Green Mountain Miniature Horse and Donkey Association: The circus is in town!  Miniature donkey Eeyore, owned by Howard & Marge Alden; Snickers, being tamed by Morgan Quimby; Thunder, owned by Charlene Hopkins; Star, handled by her co-owner Debby Hayes; Kitty with her owner Leslie Wheelock; Libby and her two month old foal Fenway with their owner Corey McNeill; Banana, owned and handled by Marge Alden of Jericho. The Green Mountain Miniature Horse & Donkey Association is a local club always welcoming new members who are interested in enjoying and promoting the breed.  Members enjoy showing, pleasure trail rides, participating in clinics to better themselves and their horse and doing therapy work.  Contact Marge Alden of Jericho or Debby Hayes of Burlington for more information.  Small horses can be big fun!

• Golden Gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horse:  F.O.S.H. - Friends of the Sound Horse, is proud to be a part of this year's Everything Equine. We are pleased to introduce you to the “Golden Gaits” of the barefoot Tennessee Walking Horse. Their trademark “glide ride” is a genetically inherited gait, not man made. Training the gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horse serves only to perfect the consistency of what they already inherently possess. Dianne Lashoones of Water Tower Farm in Marshfield, Vermont is riding her 10 year old stallion, Genius Boy's Tony LaGotta. Tracy Gandin of Middlesex, Vermont is on Tango's Topper, a 22 year old gelding. FOSH is a strong voice of support for the natural abilities of the Tennessee Walking Horse and advocates regionally and nationally for the humane treatment of this beautiful animal.

• The Amateur Drill Team from Flatlander Farm of Hinesburg: This team consists of riders from age 11 through 50 plus, with varying degrees of experience in hunters, jumpers, equitation and dressage. Working together as a drill team helps riders of all disciplines ride more accurately in terms of track and pace and perform as a cohesive unit. It's a fun way to improve skills; the horses and riders alike enjoy the music.

• I Want to be a Rock Star - A Symphony of Horsepower: Gray Ghost Farm presents Litjens Yukon Nelligan, a 5yr old Canadian Stallion. Suzanne and Tim Heath will perform a symphony of horsepower, the horsepower of a Harley Davidson and a Stallion. Nelligan has shown across Canada and the US promoting the Canadian breed and its versatility, intelligence and beauty. Gray Ghost Farm breeds and shows the Canadian horse. The farm also offers training and boarding in Milton Vermont.

• Pond Hill Equestrian Drill Team: Pond Hill’s mounted drill team consists of more than 30 dedicated riders, and sixteen members will perform today.  These riders practice precise moves which include the pinwheel, the giant propeller, thread the needle, the suicide wheel, the wagon wheel and more.  The riders put together a new drill every year that can be seen every Saturday night from July through Labor Day, at the Pond Hill Ranch Pro Rodeo in Castleton, VT. 

• Liz Austin: Twenty-four-year-old Liz Austin has been a dressage competitor since 1989 (when she was five). She began riding sales horses for her mother,  Madeleine Austin, when she was twelve, the
  same year she started her first horse under saddle.  At sixteen she competed in her first Prix St. Georges on a horse she trained herself and by twenty-two she made her Grand Prix dressage debut in Europe riding Olivier, her mother's homebred stallion.  Liz and “Fizzy” have twice won the Brentina Cup competition for up-and-coming Grand Prix riders, and are currently competing at International Grand Prix Dressage competitions, hoping to gain a spot on the US Equestrian Team in the next few years.  Future goals include the 2010 Alltech/World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, as well as the 2010 Summer Olympics in London.

• Bonnie Sogoloff, Cedar Spring Farm: 2008 World Champion Amateur English Pleasure WC One and Only, owned by Kate Kirtcher of South Dartmouth, MA and 2008 World Champion Open Hunter Pleasure RWC MEM Bailamos, owned by Nau Is The Time, LLC of Shelburne, VT are coming to us from Cedar Spring Farm, Inc. Cedar Spring is a full service Morgan Horse training, breeding and show facility located in Charlotte, Vermont. 

• Suffolk Punch Draft Horses: Brought to you by the Green Mountain Draft Horse Association and Larry Newcombe.  The Suffolk breed has been around since the early 1500s.  They are the only draft breed that was bred specifically for farming.  The English farms where they were developed had heavy clay soil and the farmers needed an animal with power, stamina, health and longevity.  The horses were used to till and harvest the farmer's land and seldom left the farm, which kept them pure to their breed.
  Where does the Punch come in?  These horses have a stout round "paunchy" body and that is what puts the Punch in Suffolk Punch.  There are fewer Suffolks than most other draft breeds in the United States and they are listed on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy under the status of "rare". 

• Reining Freestyle - Popeye the Sailor Man:  Sue Chagnon and her Quarter Horse gelding, Heza Tabano Twist (Buddy, for short) are from Mooers, NY.  Sue is an NRHA member, has competed Non-Pro for many years and is now competing in the Open division. 

• Friesians of Majesty: Located in Townshend, VT, this award-winning breeding and training facility is devoted exclusively to the Friesian breed.  Friesians of Majesty provides horses for sale, year-round training, lessons, breeding, foaling, carriage rides, and the quintessential Vermont sleigh rides, as well as camps for women and girls. 

Also scheduled to appear will be Steve Davis of the UVM Morgan Horse Farm, nationally renowned horse trainer Kenny Harlow and nationally ranked equestrian jumper Darren Graziano. Harlow and Graziano are sponsored by Tony’s Tack Shop and Gray Ghost Farm.

The Vermont Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization with policies and priorities set at the County level by individual farmer members in a democratic process.  More than 4000 member families in all fourteen counties have joined together to solve problems common to the agricultural community. For ticket information, visit www.flynntix.org or call 802/863-5966.

Proceeds from the show will benefit the Vermont Farm Bureau’s Equine Industry Committee in promoting and sustaining equine efforts in Vermont.