04/21/2026
Midwest Horse Fair 2026
Thursday started early, we were loaded and on the road just after 3am and were the very first ones to arrive at the fairgrounds just before 6am. It was a bit hectic with booth/stall setup and 4 rehearsals, but I was very happy with how Arrow settled in. He showed all of his quirks, but he handled the environment and busyness very well.
Friday morning started off with a really nice session in Pavilion 2 and I was feeling confident for our demo in the afternoon. Unfortunately due to the severe storms rolling in just as our demo was set to start and the energy in Pavilion 2, the environment became too much for him and he struggled. I’ve heard many horror stories about Pavilion 2 and unfortunately have come away with one of my own. However, I am happy with how he still tried for me even though he was so overwhelmed and how he calmed down after the demo. We had a really nice ride in the evening and I was proud of how he handled the chaos of the arena.
Saturday started with a nice ride in Pavilion 2 and I was hopeful that we could make a comeback and be successful. He started our demo in the afternoon well, but the environment overwhelmed him again and I chose to pull him from the demo early. Because of this, I pulled him completely from our second demo of the day. I was very bummed, but I had to do what was best for Arrow, and rushing him into another arena in that moment would have been setting him up for failure. I was very impressed with him in our ride Saturday night, the arena was even more chaotic, and while he was a bit tight, he kept his cool and gave me some really nice work.
I was determined to make Sunday a success, so we started with a ride in the Coliseum and then moved to Pavilion 2. He was feeling really good in both arenas and we made some adjustments for our demo to help make it more successful. He was feeling worried before the demo, but I was able to work him through it and get him to a more neutral state going into the coliseum. While I could feel some leftover anxiety from the previous 2 days, he did very well and tried very very hard for me. He locked on at one point and gave me a very beautiful half pass, which I was super proud of.
While the weekend didn’t quite turn out how I’d hoped, I’m very glad we were able to end on a good note. I’m also super proud of how he handled the environment in general and it was so cool to see people gushing about how pretty he is. It was so nice to catch up with friends and connect with so many people. I managed to catch a few clinics in the chaos and have come home with some new ideas and inspiration.
If anyone happens to have videos of the North Central Liberty demo on Friday, the Mustang Pride demo on Saturday, or the Mustang Pride demo on Sunday, I’d love if you could send them to me.
Thank you to the North Central Liberty Horse Club for including me in your demos and a huge thank you goes out to Mustang Pride. You not only welcomed me into your group, but also were there for me to vent, to give advice and encouragement, and are such a fun and chill group of people to hang out with. I appreciate you guys❤️
As always, I’m grateful for Arrow and the places he’s taken me. I look forward to more adventures we have planned this year and couldn’t ask for a better partner to do this with❤️
