By OLIVIA BERGMEIER
Salina Post
EquiFest of Kansas returned to Salina and brought international presenters, vendors from across the nation and horse fans from Kansas all packed into and around Tony's Pizza Events Center, 800 The Midway, Salina, Kan.
On its opening day, EquiFest celebrated with the World of Horses showcase that evening, featuring various presenters and clinicians for the rest of the event.
Sparklers lit up the central arena at the Events Center around 7 p.m., Thursday, March 14, to kick off the Celebrate EquiFest World of Horses presentation.
After a short presentation from the Fort Riley Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard, the Diaz Family and another trainer, the Little Head Horse Dancers entered the stage to showcase their nationally recognized skills in traditional Native American dance.
Once the dancers concluded the traditional Horse Dance, North American indigenous education continued with Tashina and Shane Red Hawk, the Sicangu Lakota Nation members.
There, the father-daughter duo shared the ways of Lakota horsemanship and the deep connections they found while raising and training Heritage Appaloosa horses.
The Red Hawks finished the celebration, but throughout the day outside the arena, dozens of vendors sold various goods, ranging from rugged saddles to delicate Nepal-made jewelry.
More than 100 vendors visited this year's EquiFest, with a majority representing Kansas businesses, but some traveled from out of state to attend the large equine expo.
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John Nocar, owner of the Australian Saddle Company from Mt. Vernon, Ohio, began attending various festivals and expos nationwide 18 years ago. In 2008, Nocar brought the Australian Saddle Company to EquiFest of Kansas.
"I like helping the people," Nocar said. "We fit saddles to the horse and our trees are made with aluminum, so it allows us to bend the tree to custom fit it to the horse. We're not just selling the saddle that's been made off of a tree that's previously made."
The tree of a saddle is the inner structure of a horse saddle. Since it is often made of wood, giving it the name "tree," some riders have difficulty finding the right saddle for their horses.
Nocar began in the saddle business with a different company until it sold, and he started looking for new opportunities. He found one with an Australian leather conditioning recipe.
From there, Nocar built up the Australian Saddle Company, where he and his team attend nearly a dozen shows throughout the year, four of which are back-to-back alongside the EquiFest of Kansas.
Australian Saddle Company is an online business, so attending shows allows customers to review the product to consider it later or buy it in person during the show.
"It pushes your online business, and people still want to feel in touch," Nocar said. "I don't mind them buying online because it can't find anywhere else."
Another out-of-town vendor, Earth Delights, owned by Joanna Donavan from Madison, Wisconsin, visits EquiFest of Kansas yearly to sell her Nepal-made sterling silver jewelry.
Donavan said she designs and performs the stone cutting for the various gemstones in her jewelry, but her business partners in Nepal finish the pieces with sterling silver.
"I was trained as a goldsmith with them, and then I slowly switched over to making lapidary and doing stone cutting," Donavan said.
As the vendors continued their sales, various clinicians inside two different arenas continually shared information about horsemanship and training.
