COLUMBUS — The show pen is not the only arena at the All American Quarter Horse Congress this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 13-14, the spotlight shifts to youth and collegiate educational contests at the Ohio Expo Center, where students compete on knowledge, judging and speaking rather than riding.
Tuesday’s lineup features the Horse Bowl, a fast-paced question-and-answer contest covering horse care, anatomy, health and the wider industry, and a communications contest in which students speak and demonstrate what they know. Wednesday brings hippology — an exam, identification stations, horse judging and a team problem — along with youth and collegiate horse judging, where contestants place halter and performance classes and defend their choices out loud.
The contests are part of the world’s largest horse show, hosted by the Ohio Quarter Horse Association at the Ohio Expo Center, 717 East 17th Avenue, from Sept. 26 through Oct. 24. The Congress draws more than 28,000 entries a year and more than 500,000 visitors to the Columbus area, awards more than $5 million in cash and prizes, and carries an estimated annual economic impact of $426 million. Its trade show fills about 20 acres with roughly 200 exhibitors.
General admission to the Congress is free, with separate tickets required for the freestyle reining and professional bull riding events. Daily parking is $25 per vehicle, discounted to $15 on Mondays and Tuesdays, and free on Wednesdays.
For the students competing this week, organizers say the educational contests offer a national stage to build judgment, teamwork and communication skills — and a path into the horse industry that does not require owning a show horse. The Congress, first held in 1967, continues with horse show competition through Oct. 24.