Hundreds gather to show support for Erin Fall Fair at fourth annual Horse Heritage movie night

ERIN – Representatives from thoroughbred, standardbred and quarter horse racing, alongside local recreational horse owners, showed their support to the Erin Fall Fair at the fourth annual Horse Heritage movie night.  

Over 200 guests attended, bringing together the local equine community to celebrate horses in Erin. The evening included displays of ribbons, trophies and heritage items and a unique collection of hand-carved horse-drawn models. Ontario Harness Horse Association general manager Brian Tropea shared highlights from the recent Equine Economic Impact Study and Equine Guelph had promoted its educational programs and a offered a chance to win an online horse portal course.

Erin Fall Fair ambassadors Kylie Reid and Brennan Quackenbush greeted guests and helped with event setup, while members of the Guelph Pony Club volunteered as ushers.  A presentation created by Pony Club members was shown before the feature film. Local Erin District High School student Kamryn Busch opened the event by singing O Canada.

After the feature film (Run Like A Girl), special guest Vicki Pappas, Longrun Thoroughbred Retirement Society chair, introduced Longrun’s adoption program and emphasized how giving horses a “second chance” pays back a debt of gratitude. Thoroughbred horses are retrained for competition, recreation or as companion horses, and then offered for adoption. Pappas also introduced the Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning (FEEL) program now offered at Longrun by former champion racing jockey Eurico Dasilva.

All proceeds from this event will be directed towards staging the annual horse heritage awards, maintaining the horse heritage archives (on the Erin Fall Fair website) and hosting the Equine Tent at the fair.

“The 2026 Horse Heritage movie night was an interesting and enjoyable evening,” said Carol Robertson, local owner of AQHA 2026 Horse of the Year, Had to be Fabulous, in a press release. 

“It was great to see so many horse people from all disciplines out to support the Erin Agricultural Society and our local horse sector. We would like to thank all the volunteers for their work and time; it takes a big effort and it made for a very special evening for all of us.”