AUGUSTA – The Northeast Horsemen’s Conference and Trade Show will be at the Augusta Civic Center on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 15 and 16, for the 11th consecutive year.

The show will feature nationally recognized guest speakers, as well as regional and local favorites.

Tom Clark, show manager, said, “The Northeast Horsemen’s Conference and Trade Show has enjoyed growth in several key areas in recent years. That reaffirms our belief that the equine community of Maine is committed to our efforts.”

The trade show in the civic center’s main auditorium will feature a range of exhibitors from tack shops and saddlers to representatives of equine publications and books, barn building, trailers, apparel, gifts and accessories.

Clark calls it “the perfect escape for horse people of all disciplines, tastes and skill levels in the doldrums of New England winter.”

Helping horse, rider

The speakers will include Lucille Bump discussing centered riding and its benefits for horse and rider; Ray Elliott, on magnetic therapy for the sport horse; Bob Jeffreys on training and horsemanship issues, including sessions on “Learning to Speak Horse,” “Why Horses Do What They Do” and communications between horse and rider; Ginny O’Keefe, on massage therapy; Margaret St. Pierre, tack maintenance and repair; Vicki Schmidt, on the versatility of draft horses; Jana Scotia, equine dentistry; and Suzanne Sheppard, tai chi for horse people.

Dana Stillwell will discuss protecting the older horse; Becky Sweeney will discuss stress-free development with younger horses; and John Trafton, farrier issues.

Richard Shrake, originator of the Resistance Free riding and training methods, will give presentations that include ones on showmanship and how to “win the blues,” maximizing performance through power bitting and proper steps in selecting the right horse. He’s conducted clinics and seminars at more than 105 universities and colleges internationally and coached the U.S. World Cup Team. His syndicated columns, “Bridle Wise” and “Strides to Success,” are featured in more than 150 national and Canadian publications, and he has written three best-selling books.

Vitor Silva returns to provide insights into the precision and pageantry of classic dressage, and into his own career breeding and training Lusitano horses, the pride of his native Portugal.

The trade show runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Prizes will include a saddle and gift certificates.

Registration for the conference and trade show is $40. Trade show only tickets are $6.