COLUMBUS, OH, April 24, 2026 – Earlier this month, Equine Affaire celebrated the 70th event in its history by producing Equine Affaire in Ohio at the Ohio Expo Center. Beloved by horse enthusiasts since its inception in 1994, Equine Affaire evolves each year to meet the ever-changing demands of the horse world. At its core, this first-class horsemen’s exposition remains dedicated to producing events that provide exceptional equestrian education for all while also promoting communication and cooperation between many different segments of the industry. Through a combination of its varied educational clinic program and special features highlighting the western, English, driving, and racehorse disciplines in particular, this year’s event proved to be one for the books.
On April 9-12, tens of thousands of eager horse lovers flocked to the Ohio Expo Center to elevate their equestrian experience together. Attendees of all ages enjoyed learning, shopping, networking, competing, exploring, and celebrating everything to do with horses by attending Equine Affaire during the day and celebrating Fantasia, Equine Affaire’s musical celebration of the horse, each night. A combination of both new and linchpin event features and activities meant that attendees had plenty to explore and enjoy, whether it was their first visit or their fifteenth!
On the evenings of April 9, 10, and 11, thousands of attendees enjoyed celebrating their love of horses at Fantasia, Equine Affaire’s musical celebration of the horse. Sponsored by Western Edge, this two-hour musical theatrical show has become a beloved annual tradition for generations of horse lovers. This year, the show featured heartwarming performances by horseman Dan James and his children and fabulous routines by the Diamond D Cowgirls, the Mini Doves, and the Friesian Heritage Drill Team. Ermes Zamperla and his team kept audience members on the edges of their seats with a daring mounted jousting and combat routine. Jessica Fowlkes, a two-time NFR Specialty Act, made her Fantasia debut with a gorgeous dressage and liberty act featuring two Andalusians. The Whispery Pines Percherons took the arena by storm with a brand-new Ghostbusters-themed act, complete with an authentic 1800s horse-drawn hearse and the surprise appearance of the Ect-OHIO, Ohio’s own replica of the Ecto-1 car from the movie. And the variety didn’t stop there: a literal “dog and pony” show kept everyone laughing and cheering each night as champion dog trainer, Jennifer Crank, and her dogs competed on an agility course opposite Brittany Mayer aboard her champion Mustang, Coppy That. The show finished with whistles and cheers as three-time AQHA Congress reining champion Keith Ceddia and his Quarter Horse, Alpha Jac Sparrow, performed a flawless reining routine inspired by the Dark Knight.
For 2026, new event features for Equine Affaire included a dedicated “Bred for Speed” exhibit in the Breed Pavilion, celebrating speed-oriented horses and disciplines; the Wheels & Deals Boulevard, enabling attendees to sell their own used trailers, trucks, and farm vehicles on site; and the Cowboy Challenge unmounted competition, hosted by comedian Hayden Kristal, which attracted an enthusiastic crowd and provided Western-themed entertainment alongside Cowtown in Cooper. Cowtown in Cooper also enjoyed an expansion into the trade show with the new Western Life Today Alleyway feature, which provided attendees with a chance to learn about Western Life Today and other related companies and meet with special pop-up guest clinicians like Pat Parelli.
In addition to these successful new features, attendees enjoyed their favorite mainstay elements of Equine Affaire, including the robust educational clinic, seminar, and demo program. This year’s class of top-tier experts included John Lyons, Dan James, Jason Irwin, Ben Longwell, Keith Ceddia (reining), Phyllis Dawson (eventing), Zoe Woodland (cutting, cow work), Gaby Reutter (jumping), Mike Bednarek (reined cow horse, trail), Reese Koffler-Stanfield (dressage), Joe Sansone (ranch sorting), Bronwyn Irwin (youth, barrels, poles), AJ Miller (driving), Scot MacGregor (gaited horses), Ariana Sakaris (behavioral training), Jim Masterson (bodywork), the Diamond D Cowgirls (drill teams), Kellie & Sam Rettinger (draft driving), Asbury University (police horse training, vaulting), the Wild Horse Summit (Mustangs), and many more. For a full list of our presenters, including biographical information, and to review the schedule, click here. Sponsored by Western Life Today, Cowtown in Cooper featured clinics by Mike Bednarek, Zoe Woodland, Joe Sansone, and Ben Longwell on topics such as ranch sorting, horsemanship, boxing, cow control, and cutting.
If there’s one thing horse lovers enjoy just as much as learning more about their horses, it’s showing just how special their horses are, whether that’s through exhibiting or competing. The Breed Pavilion and the Horse & Farm Exhibits bustled all weekend long with happy visitors who stopped by each booth or stall to ask questions and meet equine ambassadors from a variety of breeds such as the American Saddlebred Horse & Breeders Association, the Bureau of Land Management, the Drum Horse Beed Registry, Fell Enterprises, the North American Suffolk Horse Association, and more.
The new Bred for Speed exhibit, which featured breeds and associations from speed-oriented disciplines, enjoyed a steady stream of visitors who were eager to learn more about Standardbreds, Thoroughbreds, and other speedy breeds. Eldorado Scioto Downs brought a Standardbred starting gate to display as part of the exhibit, giving attendees a chance to get up close and personal with racetrack equipment. The Bred for Speed exhibit included a demo ring with a dedicated schedule of speed-oriented topics, featuring presentations from the US Trotting Association, New Vocations, the Retired Racehorse Project, Serenity Oaks Equine Sanctuary, and more.
The Horse & Farm Exhibits featured the ASPCA Right Horse Adoption Affaire in its sixth consecutive year. The ASPCA was joined by eleven partner organizations who brought a total of 42 adoptable horses, donkeys, ponies and mules. Thirty-six of those equines were adopted and went off to their new homes from the event. To meet the remaining adoptable horses, and many more equines from across the country, please visit www.myrighthorse.org.
Participants also enjoyed showing off their horses in Equine Affaire’s two premier mounted competitions. On Friday, April 10, the Versatile Horse & Rider Competition kicked off in the US Equestrian Arena. For many of the competitors, their ride on that Friday was the culmination of months, if not years, of hard work and preparation – and each one made it count! Twenty-five horse-and-rider pairs tackled a challenging course, featuring an array of obstacles provided by Win-Seek Fallen Pines. They showed off their horsemanship skills and their abilities to navigate obstacles and perform maneuvers, all while they raced the clock in pursuit of $5,500 in cash and other prizes. In the end, Brenda Hanson and her mount, Ace, won handily with a score of 76, claiming their third Versatile Horse & Rider championship. Kayla Bossler and Masquerade came in second with a score of 74.5, while Monroe Miller and PA Wrangling Gem took third place with a score of 71. Congratulations to all of our riders! For full results, please click here.
Sponsored by Sentinel Horse Nutrition, the Breed Bonanza took place on Sunday, April 12, culminating in a parade of breeds in both the Youth and Adult divisions. Three judges – Kathleen Flower, Hillary Hoffman, and Jason Irwin – evaluated a variety of breeds in each division, including Suffolk Punches, Gypsy Vanners, Friesians, Arabians, Half-Arabians, Belgians, Thoroughbreds, and others. In the Youth division, Lucy MacLaren won the championship aboard Bring It, a half-Arabian gelding. In the Adult division, CJ Morrell-Dressel won aboard Shangri La PBF, a Friesian. Each winner received a ribbon and a beautiful, custom-embroidered cooler from Sentinel Horse Nutrition! For full results, please click here.
Equine Affaire is home to the largest horse-related trade show in the Midwest, so our attendees came ready to shop and network with hundreds of trade show vendors. The trade show bristled with household names like Purina Animal Nutrition, Cashmans Farm & Ranch Supply, and Horse Illustrated; boutiques such as Betsy Dale Hats, That’s Invintage, and Kelly Herd Jewelry; tack vendors such as NRS, Trail and Pleasure Riding Supplies, Tennessee Saddlery, Fair Hill Saddlery, and Tyler Shupe Leather; as well as many more retailers of feed, leather, art, decor, apparel, books, trailers, fencing supplies, media and professional services, and more.
In addition to shopping with these vendors, audiences had the opportunity to support their favorite vendors by voting in the Equine Affaire Best Booth Award contest. On Thursday, April 9, Equine Affaire staff selected five finalists for the contest: National Ropers Supply (NRS), Kelly Herd Jewelry, Betsy Dale Hats, RideJoy, and the American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders’ Association and the American Hackney Society (a combined exhibit). That afternoon, those five were published on Equine Affaire’s Facebook and Instagram channels and attendees were invited to vote. When voting concluded on Saturday, April 11, at noon, there was a clear winner: the American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders’ Association and the American Hackney Society! This exhibit, which was part of the Breed Pavilion in the Voinovich, received a certificate and a credit toward next year’s exhibit space. Congratulations to all of our finalists and our winners!
Would you like to learn more about Equine Affaire in Ohio? Make sure to review our website for details about other activities that went on over the weekend, including our ever-popular Drive A Draft ™ program with Whispery Pines Percherons; the Equine Affaire College & Career Fair; and lots more. You can get an even more robust glimpse into the experience of Equine Affaire in Ohio by checking out the official Equine Affaire podcast. Ashley Winch of the Horse Radio Network collaborated with Allison Rehnborg of Equine Affaire to produce three special episodes, recorded and produced live on site. You can listen to the Equine Affaire podcast – including all past episodes – on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen from your desktop or laptop here.
The staff of Equine Affaire would like to invite you to join us later this year at Equine Affaire in Massachusetts, happening November 12-15, 2026, at the Eastern States Exposition in W. Springfield. Advance general admission tickets to this event and to Fantasia in Massachusetts will go on sale starting July 8, 2026. Applications to exhibit in the trade show are available at https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-exhibit/mass-trade-show/mass-exhibitor-information/. For more information about Equine Affaire in Massachusetts, visit equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts or call our office at (740) 845-0085. We look forward to seeing you! We also invite you to save the dates for the next Equine Affaire in Ohio, which will take place at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, OH, on April 8-11, 2027.
Equine Affaire acknowledges the generous support of its sponsors, including Western Edge, NRS, US Equestrian, Pro Earth Animal Health, LRP Matting, My Stride, Sentinel Horse Nutrition, Western Life Today, and others. To learn more about Equine Affaire and stay up to date on everything related to Equine Affaire in Ohio, visit www.equineaffaire.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @equineaffaire. We’ll see you at Equine Affaire!
Media Contact:
Allison Rehnborg
arehnborg@equineaffaire.com