Anyone who follows me on social media knows that about 50 percent of my posts are news-related. The rest are horses and dogs. So, this week I’ll combine equines and canines with a heads up about the annual Northwest Horse Fair and Expo.
The expo runs today, Friday, March 23, through Sunday, March 25, at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center in Albany, and it’s basically a three-day equine extravaganza with everything from the Black Pearl Friesian Dance Troupe (think Ladyhawke, those of you of a certain age) to gloriously long-haired gypsy cob stallions running around in the stallion showcase.
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Photo by Sibbea Browning
Another highlight is Dally and Spanky, a miniature horse and Jack Russell terrier (that I swear I once saw on Letterman’s stupid pet tricks unless there’s some other tiny horse being ridden by a dog and jumping over fences out there).
If you saw those galloping cartoon mustangs in the recent Travel Oregon “Only Slightly Exaggerated” campaign and were intrigued, then check out the real-life mustangs in “The Mustang Adoption Challenge” in which teens and adult riders and trainers compete in riding and in-hand with mustangs they have had only three months to train.
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Finally, the high point for all the kids out there who don’t have horses is the BreyerWest, in which molded plastic horses take center stage (full disclosure: I had a vast collection of Breyer models as a kid). According to the expo’s press release: “The model horse show features a competition with model horses, plus workshops and activities for model horse hobbyists. BreyerWest offers three days of Breyer fun, including free Stablemates painting for kids, hands-on workshops and free demos with hobby experts.”
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Courtesy Breyer
Go to the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo’s website here for a full schedule and a list of performances, shopping opportunities, seminars and more in all things equine. Expo hours are Friday: 10 am – 8 pm (Trade show closes at 7 pm), Saturday: 9 am – 8 pm (Trade show closes at 7 pm) Sunday 9 am – 6 pm. Tickets at the gate are cash only. Adults: $14/ day, seniors (65+) $12/day, kids 6 to 12 years of age: $7/ day and 5 and under: FREE.