2/ FEBRUARY 2026 THE RIDER


The 2026 Ontario Equine Expo can be defined with one word: EPIC


This year’s event will be


held will be held at the Markham Fairground March 27-29. A lot of support has gone into this year both from the fans of the previous year and many new businesses and services coming in as exhibitors. Ven- dors are attending from Nova Scotia, Texas, and British Co- lumbia, and across Ontario. Last year with just 9


weeks of planning, the OEE launched and it was a huge suc- cess for its inaugural year. “We just did our best to


Chet Martin


just take care of people” Ryan Kent stated. “My wife Miranda and I pulled off an impossible timeline to make this happen because we care about our equine community.” He went on to say “We have so many dear folks in our lives that have become like family to us from decades of saddling and show- ing horses in many different arenas over the last 30 years. With Everyone that attended, whether they were an exhibitor or an attendee, they all took a huge chance on us and their faith in our vision was the driv-


Jason and Bronwyn Irwin


is a multi-talented rider. From running the Calgary


Stampede drill team, to riding in high level dressage, and she also includes so many specialty areas of the equine industry. Jason and Bronwyn Irwin


ing force on how we wanted to present the Expo to our guests.” This year’s Ontario


Equine Expo promises to be plethora of knowledge from world renowned cli- nicians. When the OEE team thought about the content, there was no sub- stitute for quality and top professionals. Amberley Snyder is


the main celebrity high- light for Friday. Her story


is inspiring to so many people in and out of the horse industry. “When we called her,” Said Ryan, “she was so gracious and kind. She loved the idea of how we wanted to present our show to our guests. She is world fa- mous for presenting clinics and speeches at events like the Na- tional Finals Rodeo, and some of the biggest barrel racings across the U.S.” She has also made an appearance on Yellow- stone and She has her own Net- flix movie, Walk, Ride, Rodeo. A great feature will also be


the 3-part boys club of Rick Weibe, from Saskatchewan, Tyler DeLange from Michigan, and Chet Martin from Ontario. This trio of trainers show horses at an absolute top level in the cow horse, cutting, and reining industries. What is great about this group is not only their accolades, but also how they are all professional horse- men that have worked together at different shows across Canada and the U.S. These 3 gentlemen are calm, knowl- edgeable and a lot of fun when


Jill Barron


Horsemanship are of course in- cluded in the weekend. Jason and Bronwyn have worked in- credibly hard to build their business, hosting Clinics and demonstrations across North America. They are local to On- tario and host their own televi-


Amberley Snyder


from all different arenas will combine talents in a perform- ance horse showcase. Show jumping, mini chucks, reining, cow horse, cutting, barrel rac- ing, dressage, roping, and mounted archery riders will all combine to create a special event featuring horses from many disciplines competing for bragging rights and a champi- onship buckle for each class. (The English group loved the idea of winning a belt buckle) 4 riders in each discipline, a


sion show, The Horse Trainers, on RFD TV. They have been featured at the Equine Affair, Horse Expo Canada, and Canada’s Got Talent, just to name a few. Jason and Bron- wyn are genuine people that fit perfectly into the atmosphere of


rodeo announcer, and a sound- track, will make this a “can’t miss” event. “The purpose of this is to show off what our equine partners can to do. The jumps, the stops, the spins, the elegant dancing, the targets and working cattle”, explained


Tyler DeLange


the Expo. All this and many more


talented people will be featured in


Sales/Equipment Ontario main arena,


the RMK Trailer the Branding Barn


demonstration ring, and the Chatterbox Saloon. Friday night will feature a


brand-new event, never been done before. The Battle of the Bridles. In this event, riders


put together. Ryan said “We de- cided the best way to present them would be to pair them up in different clinics and demon- strations over the weekend.” Jill Barron is not to be left


out of the OEE line up. Jill hails from Alberta, Canada and she is hosting clinics and sessions over the weekend. Her first trip to Ontario will be met from the welcoming atmosphere from the Ontario equine industry. Jill


Ryan. “Top show horses from Canada and the U.S. will be en- tered in this invitational. Our OEE clinicians will also be fea- tured.” What about the Saturday


night? “What can we do? Well, the Black Creek Rodeo Com- pany is back. Last year it was standing room only for this bull


Continued on Page 3. Rick Weibe


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