Each year attendees to the World Show and Celebration love attending the organized trail rides hosted by the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association (MFTHBA) Trail Committee.  The MFTHBA World Show and Celebration is focused on celebrating all the Association’s members and their interest.  “This is event is the only breed World Show I am aware of that includes trail rides,” shared President Mark Mackie. “This reflects the importance of our trail riding members to our association and our desire to make our event inclusive of all our members.”

Recently, the Trail Committee approached the MFTHBA Board of Directors with their intent to cancel the trail rides schedule for the 2020 World Show and Celebration.  Their request reflected concerns regarding the current Vesicular Stomatitis virus outbreak faced by several states this year, including Missouri.

While the Board understood the concerns by committee members, they challenged the committee to come up with a unique solution that would allow the breed’s trail riding members to be engaged in the event.  “The health of our equine participants is very important,” added Mackie. “One concern about holding rides off the grounds was ensuring the appropriate health paperwork was checked on all horses participating.”

To address this concern, this year’s trail rides will be held on the MFTHBA grounds and the adjacent areas.

Each morning, Monday through Friday, a member of the MFTHBA Board of Directors will be available in the Roy Williams pavilion between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.  Trail riders may come by to complete the days required paperwork before heading out on the 130 acres on the grounds.  Longtime attendees familiar with the local roads and adjacent trails are encouraged to lead rides for those less familiar.

Attendees should review the MFTHBA showgrounds entry requirements.  Each day while completing paperwork, riders will be asked to present Coggins papers with their MFTHBA sticker on the back indicating their horse has completed the horse check-in process.

“This year has brought us many challenges.  We know this solution is far from ideal for our trail riders who love the beautiful rides hosted each year by our Trail Committee,” added Mackie.  “The Association remains committed to ensuring that trail riding is always part of the Celebration.”