*Photos available on request.
LONDON, OH, July 30, 2024 – Want to piaffe like Peters, ride a clear round like Kraut or bound over the cross country like Boyd Martin and Bruno? There’s nothing like watching the equestrian Olympic games to inspire us all to become better horsemen and horsewomen – and there’s no place better than Equine Affaire to help you meet that goal! Elevate your equestrian experience this fall by attending North America’s premier equine exposition and equestrian gathering, happening November 7-10, 2024, at the Eastern States Exposition in W. Springfield, Massachusetts. Tickets are on sale now at equineaffaire.com!
Whether it’s your first visit or your twentieth, there’s no end to the exciting activities waiting for you at Equine Affaire. Join us for a fantastic four-day equestrian experience, filled with hundreds of educational clinics, seminars, and demonstrations; the largest and most diverse horse-related trade show in the east; multiple exciting competitions; a new slew of interactive activities; and thousands of opportunities to see, pet, and admire horses of a variety of breeds and disciplines from all over the country. If you love horses, Equine Affaire is the place to be, and this is your guide on how to get there.
First, we recommend downloading the Western Edge mobile app for iPhone and Android. This premier mobile app platform offers Equine Affaire fans an easy new way to purchase tickets though its user-friendly electronic ticketing system. Whether you purchase your tickets online or through the app, you’ll receive them in your email – but make sure you keep the app on your phone! Through Western Edge, you’ll have all the event details available at your fingertips, including a venue map, the event schedule, exhibitor listings, and much more. Stay up to date on all things Equine Affaire with Western Edge and enjoy some exciting surprises along the way!
General admission tickets to Equine Affaire are $18/day for adults or $55 for a four-day pass; children’s tickets are available for $10/day for children ages 7-10; and children six and under are admitted for free. Bring the whole family and enjoy access to the trade show, theme pavilions, the Versatile Horse and Rider Competition, the Great Equestrian Fitness Challenge, the Breed Bonanza, and all clinics, seminars, and demonstrations, as well as a variety of immersive activities! Hours for the show are from 9 am to 7 pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and from 9 am to 5 pm on Sunday. While you’re buying your general admission tickets, don’t forget to buy your Fantasia tickets! Review the seating map in the app to select the right seats for you and your friends. Tickets for Fantasia range from $16-$27. Please also remember that the Eastern States Exposition charges for parking. After you’ve gotten your tickets, remember to book a room! Reserve a room with any one of our 2024 host hotel partners and take advantage of special rates and room blocks by mentioning Equine Affaire! See our host hotels here: https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-attend/host-hotels/. Or if you’d like to camp on site, visit our website for details: https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-attend/mass-campinglodging/. No advance registration is required for camping, and the campgrounds will open to the public at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, November 6.
Curious about who you’ll see at Equine Affaire? This fall’s topflight educational program will be led by equestrian all-stars Guy McLean (Quietway Horsemanship), Chris Irwin (Horse Think, Mind Your Horse), Tik Maynard (eventing and behavioral training), and Ryan Rose (general training & trail). Want to take a closer look at your discipline – or learn about a new one? Look out for discipline-specific clinics, seminars, and demonstrations presented by Lauren Sammis (dressage), Traci Brooks (hunter/jumper), Barbra Schulte (cutting/sports psychology), Beth Baumert (dressage), Marci Quist (driving), Daniel Stewart (jumping/sports psychology), Ben Longwell (vaquero), Kevin Raber (reining), Ivy Starnes (easy gaited horses), Solange (Stable Riding), Mary Miller Jordan (liberty), Kellie & Sam Rettinger (draft horses), Mini Doves Equestrian Drill Team (miniature horses), Rebecca Platz (miniature obstacle course), Celisse Barrett (mounted archery), the Renegade Drill Team (drill teams), the Copper Hill Vaulting Team (vaulting), and more to be announced! Plan ahead by checking out our preliminary clinic schedule, available now at https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/educational-program/mass-presenters/. Special thanks to Custom Equine Nutrition for sponsoring Guy McLean’s presentations at this year’s event!
And if you love to learn hands-on, we invite you to apply to Ride with a Pro! Sponsored by Fair Hill Saddlery, the Ride with a Pro clinic program offers unique opportunities for riders like you to receive individual instruction and training from many nationally recognized industry professionals. Apply before September 6 for your opportunity to ride with, or have your horse trained by, one of the following: Guy McLean (colt starting), Chris Irwin (general training, horsemanship, HorseThink), Tik Maynard (eventing, general training), Ryan Rose (general training, horsemanship, ranch trail, trail obstacles), Lauren Sammis (dressage), Traci Brooks (hunter/jumper), Barbra Schulte (cutting), Marcie Quist (driving), Daniel Stewart (jumping, sport psychology), Ivy Starnes (easy gaited horses), Kevin Raber (reining), Ben Longwell (vaquero and ranch horse), Beth Baumert (dressage), Solange (Stable Riding), and the Renegades Drill Team (drill teams). With more than 50 RWAP-eligible clinics to choose from across four days, we guarantee you’ll find a clinic (or two!) to suit you and your horse. The fee for each clinic is $105 and includes clinic participation, event admission, 24 hours of stabling, and a free T-shirt. Visit https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-participate/mass-ride-in-clinics/mass-ride-with-a-pro/ today to apply.
Crown your day of learning at Equine Affaire by attending a spectacular nighttime performance: Fantasia, a musical celebration of the horse! Sponsored by Equine Medical & Surgical Associates, Fantasia is a stunning theatrical showcase of talented riders, gorgeous horses, and fabulous music. This year’s event will feature acts that will inspire your dreams, bring tears to your eyes, and remind you of all the reasons you fell in love with horses. This year’s show features the Australian cowboy-poet, Guy McLean; a show-stopping mounted archery routine by the all-female archery team Equestrian Chaos; the beloved Mini-Doves Equestrian Drill Team; a foot stomping dressage freestyle by Lauren Sammis; and even more unbelievable acts. You’ll also see the lilliputian stars of Equine Affaire’s first-ever viral social media video: six matched miniature black horses pulling an adorable wagon! The Valley View miniatures will appear alongside the colossal Whispery Pines Percherons in a double-driving act that will bring you to your feet with excitement. With just three performances, happening November 7-9 at 7:30 pm in the Coliseum, get your tickets early before they sell out.
Equine Affaire in Massachusetts will also feature not just one, not just two, but three exhilarating competitions this year – including the inaugural Breed Bonanza, sponsored by Blue Seal! This exciting under saddle class will highlight a wide variety of breeds and disciplines as the best of the best vie for top honors in the Breed Bonanza. Featuring a section for youth riders and a section for adult riders, the first-ever Equine Affaire Breed Bonanza will take place on Sunday, November 10, at 11 am in the Coliseum. Whether you want to compete or watch, don’t miss this exciting new feature designed to highlight the beauty, grace, and athleticism of horses everywhere. To learn more and enter the Breed Bonanza, visit https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-participate/mass-compete/mass-breed-bonanza/ today. Entries are due September 6.
A beloved annual tradition for riders from across New England and beyond, the Versatile Horse and Rider Competition – sponsored by Chewy! — will return on Friday, November 8, at 1 pm in the Coliseum. Designed to test horsemanship, versatility, and horse-and-rider communication, the VHRC enables 25 horse and rider pairs to compete for $5,500 in cash and other prizes as they vie to see who can score the best run through a challenging obstacle course. Applications are due September 6. Don’t miss your chance to ride in this unique and exciting event! Here’s where to apply: https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-participate/mass-compete/mass-versatile-horse-rider-competition/.
Don’t own a horse or can’t bring yours to the event? We’ve got a competition for you! First introduced in 2023, the Great Equestrian Fitness Challenge returns on Saturday, November 9 at 3:00 pm in the GGT Arena in the Young Building. With two barnyard Olympic events to compete in, you can flex your barn rat muscles and compete for prizes and bragging rights in this fun and funny unmounted event. Sign ups for the Great Equestrian Fitness Challenge will be available at the event! Want to learn more? Here’s where to go: https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-participate/mass-compete/great-equestrian-fitness-challenge/.
Love getting up close and personal with horses? Enjoy this sneak peek into some of Equine Affaire’s incredible interactive attractions:
- NEW! Enjoy a leisurely drive in historical style around the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds in a gorgeous stagecoach, drawn by two massive black Percherons. Stagecoach rides can accommodate up to six people and will be available each day of the event for an extra fee.
- The ever-popular Drive a Draft activity will be back! Hosted in partnership with the Whispery Pines Percherons, attendees can learn how to ground drive a draft horse or a pair of draft horses under the supervision of expert drivers Sam and Kellie Rettinger! This activity is free with the price of admission, but sign-ups will be required at the event.
- If you want the full Equine Affaire experience, visit the Breed Pavilion! Brimming with horse breeds ranging from the familiar to the exotic, Equine Affaire’s Breed Pavilion is home to dozens of horses who serve as friendly and beautiful ambassadors for their breeds. Visitors can walk through the Breed Pavilion any time during the event and take selfies with the horses, meet their owners, and learn more about their registries and associations.
- You can meet even more horses by visiting the Horse & Farm Exhibits, which will be located in C-Barn! Walk through the aisles of the barn and learn about local horse businesses and service providers while you meet their horses. And while you’re there, make sure to visit the Adoption Affaire and learn about all of the horses available for adoption, or check out the sale horses!
- Are you new to horses and curious to learn about the basics? Check out the Equine Fundamentals Forum, which is a special corner of the event just for you where you can watch demos and presentations geared for novice horse lovers; enjoy hands-on exhibits like tail and mane braiding stations; learn about tack and other gear; and lots more. The “EFF” is also home to the College and Career Fair, where you can learn all about different horse-related careers and college degrees and get advice on how to pursue your dreams of employment in the horse industry.
In between clinics and visits to the barn, you’ll want to make time to enjoy an expansive trade show experience at Equine Affaire. It’s the perfect place to get a head start on that Christmas shopping list for all the equestrians in your life. With hundreds of vendors spread out across multiple buildings, you’ll be able to find everything you could possibly need or want to outfit your barn, supply your feed room, or furnish your tack room – not to mention decorate your home, fill the shelves of your equestrian library, or refresh your show apparel! For a current list of exhibitors, visit https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-trade-show/mass-exhibitors/. And if you love thrifting or hunting for good deals on gently used horse items, you’ll want to check out The Marketplace, Equine Affaire’s own consignment shop where you can buy or sell secondhand horse-related items. For more information about the Marketplace, visit https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-participate/mass-sell/mass-marketplace/!
Don’t forget to enter Equine Affaire’s free online raffle! Enter online or through the Western Edge app for a chance to win any number of fabulous prizes from companies like 100X Equine, October Design Equestrian Decor, Triple Crown Nutrition, Kelly Cosby Photography, US Equestrian, Zesterra by Pro Earth Animal Health, State Line Tack, and Equine Affaire. Here’s where to enter: https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-other-features/mass-free-raffle/.
Would you like to earn free admission to Equine Affaire? We’re looking for volunteers just like you to help us in Massachusetts! Sign up by September 25 by visiting https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-participate/mass-help/mass-volunteer/.
Equine Affaire gratefully acknowledges the support of its sponsors, including Equine Medical & Surgical Associates; US Equestrian; GGT Footing; Horizon Structures; Fair Hill Saddlery; LRP Matting; Pro Earth Animal Health; Tribute Equine Nutrition; Custom Equine Nutrition; Blue Seal; and Chewy. To learn more about Equine Affaire, visit www.equineaffaire.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @equineaffaire. We’ll see you at Equine Affaire!
Media Contact:
Allison Rehnborg, Marketing Coordinator
Equine Affaire, Inc.
Phone: (740) 845-0085 ext. 103
arehnborg@equineaffaire.com
www.equineaffaire.com