From The Publisher – What Matters Most…

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10 – November/December, 2026

By Tom Grabe

By the time this article reaches our readers, the Congress will be over and the AQHA World Championship show in Oklahoma City will be in full swing. However, just because the Congress is over doesn’t mean it’s forgotten. In fact, the memories made at the largest single breed horse show on earth will be etched into our minds for a long time to come, maybe forever.

The Congress has become a very unique horse show because it brings everyone together in one place to celebrate Quarter Horses, and some Paints and Appaloosas, too. Even though it has become fashionable to have shows that segregate exhibitors by age, discipline, and ability, the Congress has chosen to continue to have an event that welcomes everyone to one location to show or watch any event that might interest them. And you know what, it works! Maybe it’s unique to this event. Maybe it’s not possible to pull this off anywhere else (although I think the Sun Circuit proves that theory wrong) but it seems that people come to the Congress in droves to compete against or view lots of horses doing what they do best.

I know what you’re gonna say. The Congress has futurities for every discipline, and they are held in cooperation with the specialty organizations for that event. You’re right. There is a veritable alphabet soup of event and alliance partners that sanction classes in Columbus. Furthermore, those same partners raise a lot of money that draws the best and brightest horses and horsemen to Columbus to compete for the big bucks. It’s a huge draw. However, the beauty is they are there with everyone else who is interested in horses–young and old, rich and not so rich–who compete in different disciplines. They are there stalled side by side, sharing the same facilities, and sometimes sharing common knowledge about horses.

Click here to read the complete article
10 – November/December, 2026