Not only for professionals
Sokolniki Museum and Educational Centre became yet again the hosting ground for members of equine industry: the traditional Equiros exhibition was held there from April 2 to April 5, 2015. Despite the fact that the spring exhibition ranks as professional and is primarily aimed for experts, it usually attracts a wider range of attendees. More than 4,000 visitors came to see the exhibition over the four days, and the number of participants and guests grows steadily every year.
Most of the companies – i.e. 47 – presented clothing and equipment for riders and horses. Spring always brings renewment, and equine professionals and enthusiasts are not an exception here. Fashionable and comfortable clothes and footwear for riders following the latest trends in European fashion, bright coloured saddlecloths, halters, horse bandages and various accessories – all these are a good enough reason to visit the exhibition. Alongside with the clothing and ammunition the exhibitionists presented feeds, supplementary feeds, veterinary preparations, technologies for building show rings and equestrian centres, specialized literature and special services, for example, saddlecloth embroidery.
As usual, the programme of the exhibition was not limited to the presentation of equine products. There were a number of roundtable discussions, seminars, reports and lections concerning some topical and even pressing matters. As an aftermath of the German «Equitana» exhibition’s seminars on para-equestrian dressage there was a roundtable discussion related to adaptive equine sports and the perspectives of paralympic dressage in Russia. While traditional equine sports are definitely developing in this country and we are gradually gaining positions on the international arena, specifically thanks to our young sportsmen, the prospects of paralympic dressage in Russia are rather cloudy. Despite the fact that the para-equestrian dressage discipline was excluded from this year’s European Championship programme, European disabled sportspeople have every opportunity for competition and personal growth, whereas in Russia para-dressage exists only among enthusiasts. We lack professional personnel, infrastructure and funding. Those were the topics discussed at the roundtable meeting organized by the Russian National Para-dressing team and the National Federation of Hippotherapy.
Equine Veterinary Association organized a conference on the current problems of equine veterinary medicine, including orthopedic matters. A separate roundtable discussion was held on the topic of organization of equine tourism competitions – an underdeveloped yet very promising field.
The traditional «big» autumn Equiros exhibition will be held in Sokolniki from October 15, 2015 to October 18, 2015. The organizers already accept applications for stand reservations and are developing a business programme. Some two hundred companies are expected to participate in the exhibition.
Olga Kalmykova
