Third Annual Bluebonnet Horse Expo to include Bluebonnet Art Show and Bluebonnet Rescue Horse Training Challenge

The Third Annual Bluebonnet Horse Expo will be held Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at the Travis County Expo Center at 7311 Decker Lane in Austin, Texas. Proceeds from the event benefit the horses of Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society, a nonprofit organization that helps starving and abused horses across Texas and Arkansas.

The Expo serves four purposes: educate horse lovers about proper horse care, provide family entertainment, introduce rescue horses to the public, and help BEHS raise funds. The event includes clinics and demonstrations about horse training and horse care as well as fun activities for the whole family.

Thirty to fifty of the rescue’s horses, donkeys and mules plan to attend the event and will be introduced to the public. If you are interested in adoption, come meet the horses and find your new equine pal. Pre-approved adopters may adopt an equine on the day of the Expo, so be sure to get your Adoption Application in early. Anyone who adopts at the Expo or turns in their adoption application at the Expo will receive half-price adoption fees.

This year’s Expo will include two new events:

· Bluebonnet Art Show: Professional and amateur painters, photographers and other artists have donated horse and farm/ranch-themed art work for the Inaugural Bluebonnet Art Show. All art work will be sold at silent auction at the Expo.

· Bluebonnet Rescue Horse Training Challenge: Bluebonnet foster homes will compete at the first Bluebonnet Rescue Horse Training Challenge. Contestants have three months to work with their foster horses and then present them at the Bluebonnet Horse Expo. The competition will be judged and all horses will be offered for adoption once the competition is complete.

BEHS needs help to make this a successful event. The organization is currently seeking:

· Event Sponsors – Sponsorships start at just $25 and the organization offers varying benefits depending on the sponsorship level.

· Vendors – Vendor space starts at $80 and gives all vendors access to hundreds of horse lovers.

· Tack and other horse-related items – The rescue is seeking new and used tack, farm and ranch items and horse and ranch-themed jewelry and home décor for a live auction, silent auction and sale area. All donations are tax-deductible.

Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of equines by educating and helping owners, assisting law enforcement agencies, rehabilitating abused and neglected equines, and placing them into safe, permanent homes. With the drought last year and associated hay shortage, BEHS has been overwhelmed with calls about starving horses throughout Texas and Arkansas. The Bluebonnet Horse Expo will be BEHS’s major fundraiser for the year, and will directly impact the number of horses they will be able to help in the future.

For more information, visit www.bluebonnethorseexpo.com, call (888) 542 5163, or email Jennifer Williams, Expo Coordinator, at [email protected].