The horses are coming! To the NRV Horse Show starting today

The horses are coming!

For the 106th year, the New River Valley Horse Show will get underway tonight at the fairgrounds in Dublin.

5 25 horse show shirley trail barn full rock wva
Shirley Trail from Rock, W.Va. will have several horses competing this weekend.

According to Pat Worrell, Chairman of the Horse Show Committee, the show has its roots in the old Pulaski Horse Show and has been held at a variety of locations in the county during its long history.

“It’s been held at Calfee Park before, the area where Shae Dawn Industrial Park is today and others,” Worrell said this week.

This year’s show gets underway at 7 p.m. this evening with competition in a number of categories. Admission is free all three days of the show.

Competition begins Friday at 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday the show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Worrell said horses are coming to the show from all over, including Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Worrell said the show depends on a number of volunteers, many of them young horse enthusiasts from the area.

Key individuals involved in this year’s show include NRV Fair Association President Malcolm Boothe, serving as Ringmaster, John Jones, announcer, and B.J. Ratliff of Dublin, paddock manager.

Officials for this year’s show include Mary Lou Carrick of Gaffney, S.C. (Saddle Bread Judge), Rachel Witt of Roanoke (Western and Hunter), and Tim Townes of Castlewood (Racking and Walking).

Alice Martens of Dayton, Va. serves as Show Manager.

This year’s show is being held in memory of the late Thad Williams, who Worrell said was well known in area horse circles.

By Mike Williams, The Patriot