(Seneca Falls, NY – August 2011) Three of New York’s finest horse trainers will offer live horse demonstrations at the August 9-11, 2011 Empire Farm Days at Rodman Lott & Son Farms in Seneca Falls. A different program is set for 11am and 2pm at the Equine Center Round Pen for each of the show’s three days. Empire Farm Days and Layden Fence & Livestock Services are sponsors of the Equine Center programs.

The 2011 Equine Seminar schedule is:
Tuesday, August 9
11 am – Developing Horse-Rider Partnership Mounted Police-Style with Joann K. Long
2 pm – Obstacle & Sensory Training Mounted Police-Style with Joann K. Long

Wednesday, August 10
11 am – “Training through Trust & Confidence: Part I” with “Western NY’s Horse Whisperer” Dave Minteer
2 pm – “Training through Trust & Confidence: Part II with “Western NY’s Horse Whisperer” Dave Minteer

Thursday, August 11
11 am – Building Confidence & Comfort with your Horse with Trainer Liz Hodge-Nier
2 pm – Horse Talk: How to Communicate with Your Equine with Trainer Liz Hodge-Nier.

Joann K. Long is the only mounted police volunteer to earn the North American Police Equestrian Championship Brigadier Memorial Champion Award. Long is National Mounted Police and Toronto Police Services Certified. Now retired from 12 years of successful competition, Joann provides educational horsemanship applicable to any equine discipline through mounted-police style Obstacle Clinics , workshops, lectures, demonstrations and lessons presented by Gentle Dove Farm, Bloomfield, NY.

Joann’s 11am Tuesday, Aug. 9 Equine Center Round Pen demonstration will demonstrate the mounted police style of creating the horse-rider bond using basic obstacles. At 2pm, she and her mount will demonstrate a series of more difficult obstacles that exhibit the ultimate trust.

Building block training methods to accustom a horse to multiple obstacle and sensory experiences will be introduced in both of Joann’s seminars.

“Dave Minteer could be called Western New York’s ‘Horse Whisperer,’” said Dr. Ann E. Dwyer in presenting Dave with the Genesee Valley Equine Clinic Equine Educator of the Year Award in 2010. Minteer has studied horsemanship with John Lyons and applies Lyon’s Natural Horsemanship methods. Minteer, who trains at Wild Side Ranch in Blooomfield, NY, is especially known for his patience and success with difficult horses. The Wednesday, August 10 Round Pen Seminars at 11am and 2pm with the former rodeo rider, Cornell-trained farrier and professional horse trainer will show various techniques for developing horse-rider trust and confidence.

Minteer says, “Horses learn by the release of pressure, thereby being rewarded for the correct response. The objective is to make the horse feel calm and safe throughout the training.”

Elizabeth “Liz” Hodge-Nier is a certified Richard Shrake “Resistance Free” horse trainer. She trains horses, riders and 4-H equine club members out of Durand’s East Edge Ranch in Clayton, NY. She earned her Equine Science and Management degree specializing in Training at SUNY Morrisville, and trains in English and Western style disciplines for pleasure and competition. She holds clinics and judges open horse shows.

On Thursday, August 11, Liz will offer an 11am Round Pen seminar focusing on developing confidence and comfort for both horse and rider. In her 2pm seminar, she will present ways to “talk” with your horse to develop a strong communication relationship.

For more information, contact Empire Farm Days Manager Melanie Wickham, 877-697-7837, mwickham@empirefarmdays.com.