FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information/pictures contact: Angela Ryan, Equine Affaire phone/fax: 740-845-0085 ext. 110 aryan@equineaffaire.com / www.equineaffaire.com Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race Coming Equine Affaire COLUMBUS, OH, April 12-15, 2007 – Equine Affaire, North America’s premiere equine exposition and equestrian gathering, will return to the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus on April 12-15 and bring with it an entirely new element—exciting competition! Equine Affaire has teamed up with Craig Cameron to bring his trademarked Extreme Cowboy Race to the event on Saturday and Sunday, April 14th and 15th. The Extreme Cowboy Race?—as seen on RFD-TV—will be a timed and judged race through an obstacle course that is designed not only to push horse and rider teams out of their traditional “comfort zones,” but also to test communication between horse and rider and the horsemanship skills and athletic abilities of each competitor. Race contestants will compete for $4250 in cash prizes and the title of “Extreme Cowboy Race Champion” while Equine Affaire attendees will enjoy the excitement of watching horse and rider teams negotiate a challenging obstacle course at top speeds. The Extreme Cowboy Race was created by Ryan Dohrn of HorseCity.com along with Craig Cameron, who has designed and hosted three races at his Double Horn Ranch in Bluffdale, TX, since 2005. HorseCity.com decided to name the event the Extreme Cowboy Race to challenge typical reality TV shows with an infusion of horseback riding thrills. Each season Craig Cameron assembles an impressive roster of competitors from around the country who compete for the title of Extreme Cowboy Race Champion. The Extreme Cowboy Race spans 15, 30-minute episodes featuring horse and rider teams as they complete the various rounds of the race course. The Extreme Cowboy Race airs on RFD-TV and is also available on HorseCity.com for those who do not get RFD.TV. Although the Extreme Cowboy Race at Equine Affaire is not currently scheduled to be filmed for broadcast, the competition will include the same elements, excitement, and prizes associated with Craig Cameron’s televised productions in Texas. The Extreme Cowboy Race will be a timed event during which the performance of each horse and rider team will be judged on each obstacle for quality of horsemanship. Judges will award points on a scale of 1-10 performance through each obstacle based on the following criteria: horsemanship, cadence, control, horse’s attitude, and overall execution. Horses and riders will be required to complete each obstacle within a given time in order to receive points. If an obstacle is not completed within the given timeframe, the contestant will be flagged and must move on to the next obstacle. Times will be translated into points, with the highest overall point score winning the race. A maximum of 35 horse/rider teams will be selected for participation in the race. The first 20 teams will compete in the afternoon on Saturday, April 14th. The remaining 15 teams will compete in the morning on Sunday, April 15th. The top ten horse and rider teams plus one wild card team will advance to the Extreme Cowboy Race Challenge finals on Sunday afternoon. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers. The first place team will receive $2,000 and earn the title of Extreme Cowboy Race Champion; the second place team will receive $1,500, and the third place team will receive $750. Prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the final phase of the race on Sunday. The course for the Extreme Cowboy Race will be constructed within the 100’ x 200’ parameters of the Congress Pavilion at the Ohio Expo Center and will feature obstacles similar to those featured in previous races as well as several new obstacles designed specifically for the race at Equine Affaire. The course is likely to include obstacles and activities such as: saddling the horse, dragging logs, jumping obstacles, loading into a trailer, backing up through a pattern, pole bending or roll backs, navigating a log jumble, penning cattle and working gates, conquering dirt terrain, crossing water obstacles, etc. The Extreme Cowboy Race will be open to all riders age 18 years and older and horses of all breeds. All horse and rider teams will compete against each other; there will be no “divisions” based on gender or age. The entry fee for each horse/rider team is $350. Individual riders may compete with more than one horse in the race, but they must submit a separate application and fee for each horse they wish to enter in the race. Applications and videos are currently being received by Equine Affaire and forwarded to Craig Cameron who will select the 35 competitors for the race. (There were still openings for the race as of press time.) Applications will be considered until 35 contestants are confirmed. To obtain all of the details on the race and an entry form consult www.equineaffaire.com or call Coagi Long at 740-845-0085. Once selections have been made, contestants will be notified by phone. Any applicants who are not selected will receive notification by mail along with their entry fee checks. The Extreme Cowboy Race will be an exciting addition to Equine Affaire’s legendary educational program, unparalleled trade show, and Breed and Youth Pavilions. Consult www.equineaffaire.com for all of the details on the 2007 Equine Affaire in Columbus # # #