LEARNING AT HIGHER GROUND FAIR 2023
PRESENTATIONS, DEMONSTRATIONS & WORKSHOPS
Interested in Participating in the 2023 Higher Ground Fair?
We are accepting applications!
See 2022 Higher Ground Fair Participants:
Anna Blake - Horse advocate, trainer, international clinician, and award-winning author, Anna Blake's powerful, live demonstrations shed light on the mystery and magic of the Power of the Horse.
Location - Horse Exhibit Barn and Corral - North end of the fairgrounds.
Saturday, September 17
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Calming Signals (a live demonstration!)
If you are standing next to a horse and they look away, do you think they're distracted or even disrespectful? When a horse yawns, are they sleepy or bored? If they move slowly, are they lazy? Maybe you have a reactive horse who seems to spook all the time. Calming Signals are the body language of horses; it’s the way they communicate with the world. Most of us want a better partnership with our horse, but no one tells us how to do it. We want to listen better, but what are we supposed to be listening for? The understanding of Calming Signals is fundamental to understanding horses.
Is this presentation for me? Whether you have a life that’s deeply involved with horses or are simply interested in gaining some insight into this magnificent animal, this demonstration is for you!
Sunday, September 18
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Affirmative Training: The Fine Art of Saying Yes (a live demonstration!)
It’s time to update those old-school techniques. This demo marries the current brain science of how horses think and learn with affirmative training techniques. We’ll train the rider a forward-thinking philosophy and nonviolent techniques that pair clarity and kindness, resulting in a responsive partnership and focus on encouraging confidence and connection for both horse and rider. Affirmative Training is the art of understanding each unique horse.
Is this presentation for me? This mini-clinic and demonstration has much to offer whether you’re a beginning to advanced rider or are just curious about the potential for positive relationships between humans and domesticated horses.
The Jane Taylor Reenactors Guild - The Living Story of Black Americans in the Historic Rocky Mountain West
Location - Higher Ground Fair Presenter Stage in the Territorial Church
Performance Schedule Coming Soon!
Don't miss this extraordinary and enormously entertaining opportunity to learn about Black Americans' contribution to historical development of the Rocky Mountain West. Reenactors from Denver's Black American West Museum and Heritage Center perform living history through narrative, costume and character presentations of such iconic figures as members of the Tuskegee Airmen and Buffalo Soldiers; Women Pioneers and Entrepreneurs and more. Many of the reenactors can themselves trace their heritage back to these great historical figures of the West, and will follow their gripping portrayals with time for questions and conversation.
Presentations each day will feature a mix of repeat and unique performances.
Special Performance This Year - With the fair's new venue of the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site, comes the reminder that the history of the Rocky Mountain region is complex and often hidden or incomplete. Eleise Clark, chair of the Jane Taylor Re-enactors Guild, ceaselessly researches, discovers, and presents the important aspects of historical African American and Black lives and contributions in the Rocky Mountain West. Stepping beyond the well-known and often glorified stories of so-called bandits held at the Wyoming Territorial Prison, Ms. Clark will introduce to us the incomplete yet compelling story known about Eliza “Big Jack” Stewart, one of the 13 women — and the only African American woman — to ever be imprisoned here. Keep an eye out for this moment in the fair's schedule!
Stay tuned, more to come soon!
Questions? Comments?
Contact Fair Coordinator Kaitlyn Hettinger at kaitlyn@highergroundfair.org or Meara Hill at meara@highergroundfair.org
