FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: 
Marisa Vetula, Equine Affaire, Inc. 
Phone:  (740) 845-0085 ext. 110
Fax:  (740) 845-2879
mvetula@equineaffaire.com / www.equineaffaire.com

Photographs available.



Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race™ Returning to Equine Affaire
COLUMBUS, OH -– April 2, 3 & 5, 2009—Equine Affaire, the premiere equine exposition and equestrian gathering in North America, will return to the Ohio Expo Center, in Columbus, OH, on April 2nd through the 5th.  In addition to presenting an exceptional educational program, a huge trade show, Breed and Youth Pavilions, and a Youth & Collegiate Horse Judging Contest, the management of Equine Affaire is once again teaming up with Craig Cameron to produce his trademarked Extreme Cowboy Race on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday afternoons at the event.  To accommodate the vast number of spectators for this popular competition, the 2009 Extreme Cowboy Race will be conducted in the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum.    

The Extreme Cowboy Race—as seen on RFD-TV—is 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 team. Race contestants will compete for the title of “Extreme Cowboy Race Champion,” 4250 in cash, as well as products from eZall Technologies and Uckele Health & Nutrition and other valuable prizes.  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 initially created by Ryan Dohrn of HorseCity.com along with Craig Cameron, who has designed and hosted numerous races at his Double Horn Ranch in Bluffdale, TX, and at Equine Affaire and other equine venues nationwide since 2005. The "Extreme Cowboy Race" spans 15, 30-minute episodes with each episode featuring horse-and-rider teams as they complete the course. The new season airs on RFD-TV with new episodes premiering each week. Each episode is also available on HorseCity.com, or via podcast through iTunes and HorseCity.com.  In 2008, Craig Cameron launched the Extreme Cowboy Association to serve as the governing body for this growing sport.  The Extreme Cowboy Association provides rules and guidelines for Extreme Cowboy competitions as well as a central location where competitors can find competitions in their area

The Extreme Cowboy Race course will feature obstacles and activities such as ball maneuvering, trust exercises, jumping over obstacles, rollbacks, ground tying, conquering dirt terrain, technical patterns, and bareback riding.  The 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 to 10 for 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, and the team with the highest overall point score will be the 2009 Extreme Cowboy Race Champion.   

A maximum of 36 horse/rider teams will be selected to participate in the race. The first 18 teams will compete in the afternoon on Thursday, the remaining 18 qualifying runs will be held in the afternoon on Friday. The top 10 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. All prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the final phase of the race on Sunday afternoon. 

The Extreme Cowboy Race will be open to 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 $375. 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 36 competitors for the race. The application deadline is February 9, 2009. To obtain all of the details on the race and an entry form, consult www.equineaffaire.com or www.craigcameron.com or contact Nicole Taylor at (740) 845-0085 ext. 123 or ntaylor@equineaffaire.com. 

Consult www.equineaffaire.com for detailed information on all Equine Affaires including the 2009 event in W. Springfield, MA, which will take place November 12-19 and feature the Equine Affaire Versatile Horse & Rider Competition.  
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