The World’s Championship Horse Show is held annually in conjunction with the Kentucky State Fair and crowns world champion!

The World’s Championship Horse Show is not the same as the FEI World Equestrian (FEI) World Championships. These are two distinct events:

🐎 World’s Championship Horse Show (American Saddlebreds et al.)

• Held annually in late August at Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, coinciding with the Kentucky State Fair. It features American Saddlebreds, Hackney ponies/horses, and Standardbreds Horse Sport+13Wikipedia+13Reddit+13.

• For 2026, though an official calendar isn’t yet published, you can reliably expect it to take place in the third or fourth week of August 2026, following tradition.

🌍 FEI World Equestrian Championships 2026

This is the official international world championship for FEI disciplines. It combines multiple disciplines and in 2026 is hosted across two locations:

Aachen, Germany

• Disciplines: Dressage, Jumping, Para‑Dressage, Eventing, Driving & Vaulting

• Dates: 10 August – 23 August 2026 (or, per another FEI timeline, 11–23 August) Fei+1HorsesDaily+1Fei+8inside.fei.org+8chronofhorse.com+8Horse & Hound+1Wikipedia+1

Al Ula, Saudi Arabia

• Discipline: Endurance

• Date: 17 October 2026 Horse Sport+5inside.fei.org+5Fei+5

🗓️ Summary Table

ℹ️ Notes

• The World’s Championship Horse Show is specifically for Saddlebred and similar breeds and should not be confused with the FEI World Championships, which is a global, multi-discipline event.

• In Aachen, the start date is listed in some official FEI sources as 10 August, while others reference 11 August when events begin—both are understood within the broader 10–23 August window Wikipedia+15chronofhorse.com+15wchorseshow.com+15Fei+10inside.fei.org+10Horse & Hound+10Reddit+3Wikipedia+3wchorseshow.com+3.

• Al Ula’s endurance event occurs separately on a single day, 17 October 2026