Story submitted by Carol Heingartner on behalf of the Indiana Fox Trotters

March 27-29, 2025

With several members of the IFTA volunteering over the three day Indiana Equine Roundup event, the IFTA had an eye-appealing, well-organized vendor booth filled with educational material, membership enrollment, marketing pieces, merchandise, and prizes.

During the three day event, IFTA members were there to answer questions such as “What is the difference between a Fox Trotter, Walker, or Mountain Horse”, “How do I know my horse is fox trotting”, “What does your organization do?”, “Where do I find a Fox Trotter”, and “How do I learn more about your association”?.

The IFTA participated in the Roundup sponsored “Find the Pony” fun activity that brought Roundup visitors to the various booths in search of the small stuffed pony.  Those finding the pony at the participating vendors’ booths then won prizes.

Merchandise for sale at the IFTA booth included T-shirts, hats, vehicle plates, and horse-themed tiles.  Sales of merchandise help to fund the IFTA activities throughout the year.

The Roundup provides a great opportunity to encourage new members. The IFTA shared materials on-site to promote trail riding in IFTA events including MFTHBA National Trail Rides. A few new members were added to the IFTA during the Roundup.

The Roundup included several participating clinicians and gaited horse clinician, Gary Lane. During Gary’s sessions, he spoke about recently purchasing and training Fox Trotters and shared positive comments about the breed we love.

During the three days, there were two exciting rodeos; one on Friday night and the other late Saturday afternoon. The rodeos are a crowd pleaser each year and help bring in attendees.

The IFTA was honored to have Amber Wilson, MFTHBA President, join us at the Roundup for Saturday activities including time in the booth to share thoughts and ideas, clinics, and the rodeo.