Rural Heritage June/July 2025

What an Affair!

by Ralph J. Rice S ometimes it pays to think “outside of the box.” Thanks to the foresight of Andrew Nidy, one of the board members of the North American Suffolk Horse Association, we presented the Suffolk Punch horse to a crowd of 30,000 people. An event called Equine Affaire, held in Columbus, Ohio, showcases the working horse from all disciplines. This show is held at the state

fairgrounds, and it is a large venue. There were buildings filled with everything horse related. If you can name it, it was represented. There were huge displays of equipment, barn items, tack, trailers, even clothing and boots. There were several arenas on the grounds where horses of all types were introduced to large crowds of people. The time allowed in the arena was kept to eight or 10 minutes and went on all day, as horses filed in and out.

Jennifer Nidy leads a horse on the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio, at the 2025 Equine Affaire.

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