14 January 2016, Scottsdale, Arizona ~ The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Farm Tour is in it’s ninth year. The recent tour from 31 December 2015 – 3 January 2016 allowed thirteen of the valley’s prestigious Arabian horse farms to show off their best. During the four-day event, the public was invited to a free garden showcase of some of the top Arabians in the world, and they came. At each farm, we met horse-loving locals as well as those who had made the trip from across America or across the world. Hundreds of guests at each farm took advantage of the food, beverages, hospitality and exquisite equestrians on show.
Ally Nelson of Ally Nelson PR has worked with select clients to organize their Arabian Horse Tours for over six years. Horsereporter asked Ally what her job entails to promote some of the top Arabian halter breeders in the world?
Horsereporter: How did the Scottsdale tours begin?
Ally: I want to be clear that I do not work directly for Arabhorse.com and the farm tours – I work for a few of the individual farms. These tours were created by Scott Bailey and David Cains of Arabhorse.com nine years ago. The tours are such a wonderful concept bringing exposure to the Arabian breed. They are easily one of the best events of the year!
Horsereporter: How many farms are typically involved? Who comes to the Open Houses and how many to each farm? Has the Open House Tour grown or changed over the nine years?
Ally: Each year 12-15 farms participate in the Farm Tours. The tours are open to the public and Arabhorse does a great job promoting the tours throughout the greater Phoenix area so each farm has a wonderful turn out. On average, each farm has 400-600 guests, some old friends and many new faces in the crowd. Within our industry, people travel from all parts of the world to attend the tours and get a sneak peek at many of the up and coming show horses that will be participating at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in February.
Another wonderful aspect of the Farm Tours is the Live auction that benefits Healing Hearts Rescue and Refuge, the largest equine rescue in the state of Arizona. This year we split the auction between the Gemini Acres Equine event and Rae Dawn Arabians. Between the two we raised $24,950 for the abused and neglected horses of Healing Hearts – pretty spectacular!
Horsereporter: Do you know how many show/breeding barns are based in Scottsdale?
Ally: Scottsdale truly is the mecca of the Arabian horse. There are many wonderful training facilities and breeding barns located here in the Valley of the Sun. We have new ones popping up each year and other farms that have been breeding for years that relocate to Scottsdale. Just to name a few we have Gemini Acres Equine, Royal Arabians, Arabians International, Arabian Soul LTD, Midwest Training Centre, Athala Arabian, and Sahara Scottsdale.
Horsereporter: Please tell us a bit about your business model as Press Agent. Do you work solely with the Arabian horse community? What are your services?
Ally: As the owner of Ally Nelson PR, my goal is to provide my clients with a high level of publicity, event coordination and marketing management. At this time my clientele solely lies within the Arabian horse community, however, I do see ANPR branching out in the near future. My clients’ primary focus is the wellbeing of their horses, and it is my job to ensure that their branding, social media, events, and overall marketing is cohesive and successful. I feel so fortunate every day for the career that I have; I have an emotional connection with each and every barn and each and ever horse that I help promote – a unique and rewarding position.
Horsereporter: What is your background with horses/Arabians?
Ally: For as long as I can remember Arabian horses have been the center of my universe. I acquired my first show horse when I was 10 years old; she was a beautiful Palomino – half Arabian mare. That sweet mare taught me so much about horsemanship and the equestrian lifestyle. I competed with a few wonderful Arabian horses throughout my youth career. I then attended Cal Poly Pomona University and participated closely with the WK Kellogg Arabian Horse Center. I graduated in four years with a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Health Science and a minor in Marketing. My first job out of college was working at an equine surgical hospital here in Scottsdale. Very soon I became the lead veterinary technician and ran all anesthesia at the hospital. From there I went on to work for a few farms here in the valley and a marketing company. This leads me to October 2014 when I founded Ally Nelson PR and the sky is now the limit. I have the honor of representing some of the most prestigious farms here is Scottsdale and beyond.
Horsereporter: Do you organize the food, the ambiance, the sponsors as well as take photos of the events?
Ally: For the 2015-2016 Farm Tours, I coordinated the events for Midwest Training Centre and Gemini Acres Equine. For these two events, yes I organized the catering, party themes, sponsorships, and beyond.
Horsereporter: Do you coordinate with the trainer/handlers in choosing horses to present at the farm tours?
Ally: No I do not. No one knows the horses better than the trainers and managers of each individual barn, they are the experts in this field without doubt.
Horsereporter: Ally, we found you at Midwest Arabians on 3 January 2016. The owner/trainer David Boggs has been quite successful and we would also love a few words on his philosophy to train, show, and breed top Arabians.
David Boggs said, “Here at Midwest we all eat, drink and sleep Arabian horses. It is a true labor of love for us. I am so proud to be a part of the Arabhorse Farm Tours for the past 9 years – it has really grown into a fabulous way to bring new people into our breed. From a business standpoint, this year’s event was the most successful yet and resulted in record amounts of breeding sales to the Midwest Stallions. Thank you again to arabhorse.com.”
Thank you Ally and David. We look forward to the next event.
Farm Tour Photos by Horsereporter.com:
Midwest Arabians: http://photos.horsereporter.com/2016-Equestrian-Events/Midwest-Arabians