EQUITANA, the World Equestrian Horse Fair, is an absolute must for horse lovers. From March 9^th to 15^th 2023, the entire industry will meet in North Rhine-Westphalia. No matter which breed or discipline you ride, whether you care about information on health, feed, the latest fashion trends, stable construction, trailers, services, holidays or whatever, you will find something for you. On these seven days in Essen, you will find simply everything to do with horses. 

Hop Top Show

Even after the fair closes, at the evenings of EQUITANA days, the action continues. On three evenings the focus is on entertainment, and the infotainment is at its best. The Hop Top Show is the most famous horse show in the world. The best performers from all over Europe come together with their horses to show their skills in a performance choreographed especially for these three evenings. Here, variety is top priority. The masters of liberty meet the artists on the long reins, world-class vaulters and experts in the dressage saddle. What makes the show so unique is not only that the actors and their horses are the best in the world, but that they are breathtakingly staged. The interplay between horse, man, light, screen and music is unparalleled. Show acts become productions. Embedded in very special atmospheres, they show their skills and definitely let the audience dive into magical worlds for a few hours. Ticket prices start from 49 euros.

You may also like to read: The Portuguese School of Equestrian Art

Infotainment

The three remaining EQUITANA evenings belong to advanced training. On Thursday evening, Kenzie Dysil, Tanja Riediger, Julia Steinbrecher and Emilia Schlotterbeck, four of the best-known German webstars, will come together. They will create an evening giving insights into their respective training methods of liberty dressage. For the visitors, it will certainly be very exciting and instructive to get to know the different approaches and to see what can be achieved with love, trust and respect.

Dressage and jumping: Not so different after all?

Monday evening will be devoted to the classical disciplines of dressage and jumping. Different disciplines and yet not so different. With the top trainers, dressage rider Uta Gräf and show jumper Andreas Kreuzer, two internationally successful athletes demonstrate their training philosophy to the visitors. These are insights that you can't get anywhere else. Embedded in the incredible setting of EQUITANA, you can learn about training from experts you usually can’t experience at seminars. Especially for this evening, they bring students and horses to share their training approaches with the visitors. It is certain that everyone can participate here, receive tips, and get suggestions for their own training. 

A magical connection between human and horses

There are few true equine experts who manage to communicate with the horse as well as Frédéric Pignon and Magali Delgado. They go into dialogue with their horses in an unbelievable way. Frédéric has always concentrated on liberty dressage. His horses trust him, play with him, follow him and simply want to be with him. Spectators often ask themselves if it’s magic. The same question comes up when you see Frédéric's wife Magali with her horses. Magali's horses present dressage lessons of the highest class with unbelievable ease, with the greatest enthusiasm and a lot of pride. They float through the arena and enjoy demonstrating their skills with their rider. On Tuesday evening the two French trainers will explain that this special relationship with the horses is not magic, but is based on respectful handling, understanding and communication. The special guest is Linda Tellington-Jones, the founder of TTouch. The world-renowned animal trainer has a very close relationship with Frédéric Pignon and Magali Delgado and has been accompanying them on their journey for decades. On this special training evening, they explain what they do with the horses and what they can achieve with it.

The three teaching evenings are all so interesting that it will be difficult to choose which ones to see. Only one thing is certain: You must experience at least one. Ticket prices start from 33 Euros (reduced: 25 Euros). An evening in a unique atmosphere, where you can enjoy an extraordinary interaction between human and horse and learn a lot at the same time, should definitely be worth it.

You may also like to read: Liberty Training – Do you dare lose control?

Will we see you at Equitana?

If this has peaked your interest, then we hope to see you at EQUITANA. You can find all of the information about the fair and the events on their website.