Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson has announced the kickoff of the Safe Horse Project’s latest event, the 2023 Heart of the Horse Expo and Trainers Challenge, to be held at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.
The event is a spinoff from previous Safe Horse Auctions, with an emphasis on promoting a regional trainers challenge.
During the event, horse trainers from five states will converge at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds on Saturday, January 14, to pick their equine challenge partner from a lineup of over 30 untrained rescue horses. They will take their respective horses home for a 120-day training period before returning to exhibit the results of their training and to compete for over $15,000 in cash and prizes provided by the Safe Horse Project.
The public will have an opportunity follow their favorite horse and trainer teams through social media during the 120-day period and will also be able to attend the finals competition at the Kirk Fordice Equine Center in Jackson from May 19-20.
Horses participating in the trainers challenge will be available for adoption through the Safe Horse Auction, along with a number of other horses that have been fully vetted, evaluated and trained. All potential adopters/bidders must be pre-approved for adoption by submitting an online application to Mississippi Horses here and must make arrangements to meet with the horse and its trainer in advance of the auction in order to bid.
With a growing number of unwanted, untrained or poorly trained horses on the market, the Safe Horse Project’s mission is to grow participation in equine ownership as well as support for equine professionals and businesses.
Spearheaded by Mississippi Horse Rescue, the Safe Horse Project hopes to bring awareness to the problem by promoting responsible horse ownership through these events.
