It is a crisp, October day at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus, OH, this means one thing, it is time for Quarter Horse Congress. Quarter Horse Congress is the largest all-breed horse show in the world and is only open to registered Quarter Horses. This show takes place for the majority of October, running from Oct. 3-30 2016. The show offers a wide variety of classes to fit with the versatile Quarter Horse breed. The classes range from freestyle reining to hunter under saddle both for experienced and green (under 2 years showing experience) horses and professional and non-professional equestrians. This is the 50th year of the show and has been around for the majority of the American Quarter Horse Association’s (AQHA) life.

Not only is this a destination show for equestrians, it also is for spectators. The show brings in around $225 million into the Columbus area and attracts around 600,000 people to the event.

One of the big draws to the show is the shopping. Vendors range from tack stores, to college equestrian team recruitment, to trailers and campers. Colleges like University of Findlay come to the show complex to recruit riders for their intercollegiate equestrian teams. The show also hosts several large events throughout the month. One of the most popular and well known is the freestyle reining competition. This exciting event includes the horse and rider performing to music and often wearing a corresponding costume, much like freestyle figure skating.