The Ballinasloe Horse Fair is very successful and annually around 100,000 people visit it. The secret of its success is rather simple – while the purchase and selling of the horse requires a lot of paperwork, the Ballinasloe Fair gives an opportunity to buy horse without all that bureaucracy. And many tourists stream to Ballinasloe and never miss a chance to buy the horse they’ve been dreaming about.
Many historic documents reveal, that the horse trade existed in Ballinasloe since the 5th century, while the fair started much later. The fair itself is known among visitors under different names: the Ballinasloe Horse Fair and the Ballinasloe October Fair, so don’t get confused when you hear one of them.
Originally the fair started as the place to buy and sell the cattle, and only later it started to specialize in horses only. However, the modern fair isn’t only about selling and buying horses. It provides a vast and rich entertaining program for all visitors of the event.
The events of the fair include horse and pony lunging competition, derby, tug of war, dog show, bakery and craft competitions, fashion show and fireworks. The food market is also working for you to buy lots of snacks, artisan foods and craft.
The Ballinasloe Horse Fair is certainly a family event, so grab your kids and plan your visit to Ballinasloe. You should definitely see the largest horse fair in Europe with thousands of horses and ponies for sale. May be it’s the place, where you will find your own horse.
