Northern Ohio Quarter Horse show this weekend in Canfield

CANFIELD

Riders, their families and their trainers settled into the Canfield Fairgrounds today for a weekend of horse showing.

The Northern Ohio Quarter Horse Association conducts a show the last weekend in September every year, said Bill Kelly, second vice president.

The show typically has about 1,200 entries on 150 horses, Kelly said. Included in the show are categories for both youth and adults. Participants come from as far away as West Virginia and New York to compete.

They participate in events such as halter, showmanship, horsemanship, western pleasure and English hunter under saddle.

The event promotes the quarter horse breed, as well as sportsmanship, and showcases the versatility of the horses themselves, Kelly said.

“Also, it’s family time,” he added. “You’ll have entire families that are here. Even if it’s one parent or one child that’s showing, it brings everybody together.”

Sydney Hoffa, 15, of Massillon has been showing since she was 9, two years after she started riding. She competes every other weekend, and her family attends with her.

Read more about her and the show, which continues Sunday, in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.