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America<\/span><\/em><\/span>\u2019s Horse, April 1, 2009 \u2013<\/span><\/em> Clinicians Jeff Griffith and Curt and Tammy Pate will help horse owners connect with their horses through clinics and demonstrations at QuarterFest: <\/span><\/span>A Celebration of the American Quarter Horse at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in\u00a0Murfreesboro,\u00a0Tennessee.\u00a0These three professional trainers will focus on ranch roping, cattle handling, horsemanship and colt starting May 1-3<\/span><\/span>. They\u2019ll also monitor a couple of fun trail and cattle-handling contests on the last day of QuarterFest.<\/span><\/p>\n AQHA Professional Horseman Jeff Griffith got a real sense of the right way to start colts while growing up on\u00a0Montana\u2019s 130,000-acre Flying D Ranch. Having spent most of his adult life cowboying, and starting and riding colts,\u00a0Griffith\u00a0feels fortunate to have spent time on some of the country\u2019s biggest ranches. He worked closely with Joe Stiles at the King Ranch in\u00a0Texas, has traveled with Buck Brannaman, and worked with and been around some of the country\u2019s best horsemen including Barney Hinds, Cliff Kelmer, Tooter Waites, Buster Welch, Leon Harrel and Bob Lowe.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Griffith\u00a0lives and breathes horses. He has dedicated his life to becoming an outstanding horseman. And despite the success he has achieved,Griffith\u00a0never stops studying the horse and learning. He is continually looking for new and better ways to communicate with his equine partner, and with the people he teaches.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As a teacher,\u00a0Griffith\u00a0is practical and sincere. He is able to combine what he has learned from horses and horsemen, and communicate it to his students in an easy-to-understand manner. His simplistic style of teaching makes it easier, safer and more enjoyable to learn. His clinics are open to horses and riders at any level, from any discipline. He has received accolades from a wide variety of equine professionals including those involved in cutting, reining, team roping, tie-down roping, barrel racing, endurance riding, jumping, eventing, dressage and racing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n AQHA Professional Horseman Curt Pate will focus on beginning ranch roping, working with cattle, advanced ranch roping, and cattle and horseback ranch roping for his QuarterFest clinics. Curt is the featured clinician at AQHA Regional Experiences and a former columnist for\u00a0America\u2019s Horse<\/em>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Curt lives near\u00a0Newell,\u00a0South Dakota, and has been training horses and presenting demonstrations for more than 10 years.\u00a0His experience and natural talent with horses has helped him assist countless owners as they work through problems with their animals. Even\u00a0Hollywood\u00a0leaned on him during the filming of the 1998 movie \u201cThe Horse Whisperer\u201d as\u00a0an equine technical advisor.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Curt\u2019s low-stress method teaches respect for the horse as a partner rather than a servant.\u00a0Curt strongly believes low-stress training causes high-performance horsemanship. When he\u2019s not touring the country for AQHA, Curt can be found at his home in\u00a0South Dakota,\u00a0where he lives with wife, Tammy, son Rial and daughter\u00a0Mesa.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Tammy Pate will be joining Curt at QuarterFest to headline a number of clinics and demonstrations on enhancing your partnership with your horse, women\u2019s-only horsemanship and negotiating trail\u00a0obstacles. She\u2019ll also be available with some last-minute coaching and practice before the Trail Trials competition Sunday, May 3.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Tammy is proud to be known as a cowboy\u2019s wife. Born into a ranching family, Tammy was literally raised on horseback. Her father was a rodeo cowboy, who spent his free time teaching young Tammy and her sisters all he knew about horses and riding.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Tammy\u2019s grandmother instilled in her the deep values of the ranching life: a reverence for nature and the practical skills ranching families needed for the demands of their rural life.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Tammy married Curt, who was then a rodeo announcer, and followed him into the demanding life of managing a cow camp. Together, they developed innovative, gentle ways of training horses and managing livestock. Tammy is an accomplished clinician and presenter. Everyday ranch life has groomed a level of confidence in her that is visible to any audience, whether it be a group of horsewomen at a clinic in\u00a0Montana\u00a0or members of the House of Representatives in\u00a0Washington,\u00a0D.C.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Curt and Tammy also will pair up to put on the QuarterFest Stockmanship Contest on Sunday, May 3.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In addition to Jeff Griffith and Curt and Tammy Pate, the following clinicians will be at QuarterFest providing clinics and demonstrations all weekend long: Julie Goodnight of\u00a0Salida,\u00a0Colorado; Bob Avila of\u00a0Temecula,\u00a0California; <\/span>Christy Landwehr of\u00a0Aurora,\u00a0Colorado; and Bo Winslow of\u00a0Estes Park,\u00a0Colorado.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n You can participate in as many clinics as you\u2019d like with your general admission ticket to QuarterFest. For an additional fee, you can bring your horse to the clinics; however, there will be a limited number of spots for attendees with horses. Reserve your spot now! Visit\u00a0www.aqha.com\/quarterfest<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/em> to see the complete schedule of events and to order your tickets.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n QuarterFest is a three-day, education-packed celebration of the American Quarter Horse Association\u2019s 68th<\/sup> anniversary where AQHA members and horse enthusiasts from around the world will gather in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, May 1-3 for fun, entertainment and festivities to honor the world\u2019s most versatile horse \u2013 the American Quarter Horse. Our sponsors \u2013 Tractor Supply, B&W Trailer Hitches, John Deere, Justin Boots, Merial, Nutrena, Professional\u2019s Choice, Bank of America, Montana Silversmiths, Farnam and Wrangler \u2013 share our passion for horses and are an integral part of QuarterFest.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n