Halloween horse show comes to Clark County

Norman Helgason / [email protected]

Costumed horses will soon take over the Clark County Event Center at the fairgrounds for a spooky weekend of equestrian fun.

The Halloween Horse Show, hosted by the BlackPearl Friesian Dance Troupe, will be held at the Clark County Fairgrounds, 17402 NE Delfel Road, Ridgefield. The event will take place on Saturday, October 12th, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 13, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Meg Brinton, president of the BlackPearl Friesian Dance Troupe, wants to make the 50th anniversary of this Clark County tradition an unforgettable experience. The nonprofit troupe, known for putting on horse shows to benefit local charities, has run the event for five years.

One of the main attractions will be the costume horse show, where both riders and their horses will demonstrate their creativity. Last year’s winner delighted the audience by dressing up herself and her horse as Beauty and the Beast. The rider wore a yellow ball gown while her horse embodied the beast, complete with dress pants.

This year’s costume contest will take place on Saturday, October 12th at 5 p.m. Participants dress up with their horses in themed costumes and the jury evaluates the presentations in three age groups: 13 years and younger, 14 to 18 years and 19 years older. The top two entries from each group will then compete for the Grand Champion title.

“I love seeing the creativity of people who work so hard on their costumes,” Brinton said. “I just love seeing it.”

Another spooky highlight is the trail course, which opens on Saturday afternoon. The course features Halloween-themed obstacles that challenge the horses as they run through the arena. The obstacles are designed to be scary and unsettling for the horses, with features such as banging mailboxes and artificial water hazards. The horses are led through the course and not ridden.

“Most people walk their horses through it. They don’t ride through them because there are obstacles that are kind of scary to horses, things like mailboxes with something jumping out of them or something that looks like water…things that can be scary to horses,” Brinton explained.

Saturday begins with a series of regular horse shows including halter, dressage and English disciplines. The horror trail follows in the afternoon, leading to the eagerly awaited costume competition at 5 p.m. Sunday events include western and show horse shows.

Spectators can attend the event free of charge. Those interested can register online at blackpearlfriesian.org/events.