Contact:
For release: Immediate
For information: Joy Meierhans
(630) 557-2575

Springfield, IL - An invitational Ranch Rodeo is scheduled as an added entertainment for Horsemen's Council of Illinois' 2009 Illinois Horse Fair at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

While the annual all-breed three-day expo, shopping and educational Horse Fair runs Friday through Sunday March 6 - 8, the Ranch Rodeo will be Saturday night only.

"We've always wanted to provide a night-time themed entertainment at Horse Fair, and Ranch Rodeo, while requiring plenty of horsemanship, also gives the audience an exciting show," said Joy Meierhans, Horse Fair manager.

The ranch rodeo is being produced for Horse Fair by Randy Littrell of Raymond, and Matt Branum of Taylorville. Littrell rode bulls for 13 years and now focuses on a breeding program, consisting of using proven bloodlines and selecting for animals that buck. Littrell's Shop Creek Cattle Company is home to two-time Professional Bull Riding Finals Bull #13 Iceman.

But don't worry, Ranch Rodeo does not incorporate bucking bulls. It's a team sport more like a gymkhana of ranch skills, Meierhans said. Aspiring team participants may contact Littrell at randylittrell@shopcreekcattle.com or (217) 556-0551.

Illinois Horse Fair will mark its 20th anniversary in 2009, a celebration that was to have been in March 2008 - until Horse Fair was cancelled by the Illinois Department of Agriculture in response to public safety concerns associated with high voltage electrical problems at the Fairgrounds. (Repairs to more than 22 miles of underground cable were completed in mid-May and the Fairgrounds was re- opened to the public.)

Horse Fair annually attracts more than 10,000 horsemen. "Considering the state of the economy, we expect vendors to offer incentives to appeal to a winter's pent-up demand," Meierhans said.

Nearly all of the clinicians booked for 2008 have committed to return for 2009, Meierhans said, including RFD-TV's Craig Cameron along with Richard Shrake and nationally known trainers hosting riding clinics in five disciplines.

In addition to the education offered at Horse Fair, attendees can see 25 breed and sport demos, stallion row and parade, 75 horses on the HorsesForSale Aisles, the All-Youth Horse Judging Trials and more horse trailers on site than at any other show or fair in the state. For information on exhibiting at the 2009 Illinois Horse Fair, contact Joy Meierhans at (630) 557-2575 or JM@TheMeierhans.com. Advance tickets can be purchased online at the web site, www.HorsemensCouncil.org .

Sponsored by Purina Mills, Midway Trailer Sales and John Deere, Illinois Horse Fair is produced by Horsemen's Council of Illinois, the voice of the Illinois horse industry.

Horsemen's Council of Illinois is affiliated with the American Horse Council and is the statewide association of equine organizations and individuals working to provide centralized leadership for Illinois' 77,000 horse owners, 213,000 horses and its $3.8 billion industry, which provides full-time employment for more than 15,000 people. 121508