Tulsa Expo Square is hosting the U.S. National Arabian & Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show this week, bringing competitors, trainers and families from across the country to the fairgrounds. The free, public event continues through Saturday and centers on a breed known for both its gentleness and speed.
According to Tulsa World, the show returned to Tulsa for its 60th year. The paper reported that about 1,700 horses took part this year. It also reported that the Tulsa Regional Chamber estimated the previous year's event had a $32.5 million economic impact. The Arabian Horse Association planned to award $1.4 million in prize money by the time the season ends, according to the report.
Other reports put the horse count in a similar range: US Equestrian reported nearly 1,800 Arabian and Half-Arabian horses, while FOX23 reported more than 1,700 horses competing for national titles. Reported economic-impact estimates also differ. Arabian Horse Association President Deborah Johnson told FOX23 the show brings about $25 million in value to Tulsa, while Elite Equestrian Magazine cited an estimated $28 million in annual impact across Tulsa and the surrounding county.
Reading the Impact Estimates and Venue Scale
Tulsa World's reported $32.5 million Chamber estimate was for the previous year's event. The other reported figures describe about $25 million in value to Tulsa and $28 million in annual impact across Tulsa and the surrounding county. The different descriptions do not establish a like-for-like comparison, and the cited accounts do not provide a shared calculation method. For venue context, GH2 Architects describes a planned Expo Square equine facility of nearly 129,000 square feet that will contain 384 stalls. That gives a sense of the site's equine infrastructure, but it is not a count of stalls used for this championship.
A Community Beyond the Competition
Tulsa World reported that judge Greg Knowles's wife competed at the event in 2024 and is attending this year as a client. Clients, competitors, caretakers and family members come each year.
The barns also give visitors a chance to see the horses up close, Tulsa World reported.
A Season of Preparation, National Titles
Karina Kimery, a longtime participant in Tulsa's horse-show community, told Tulsa World that the national championship brings together a season's worth of lessons and practice.
Among this year's winners, Sophie Yih took the champion award in the Half-Arabian Country English Pleasure category, while Brooke Pitassi-Barrett won the Arabian Western Pleasure category riding Matallic, according to Tulsa World.
Halter, English and Western Classes on Display
The show features halter, English and western classes, according to Tulsa World. In halter classes, riders show horses in hand rather than under saddle; English and western classes feature different riding styles. The Arabian Horse Association's program for the broader national circuit includes Country English Pleasure, Hunter Pleasure and Western Pleasure classes, along with Arabian and Half-Arabian reined-cow events.
A New Five-Year Deal Keeps the Show in Tulsa
Expo Square has served as the championship's permanent home since 2008, and Tulsa World reports the show is contracted to remain in the city for several more years. FOX23 reported this is the first year of a new five-year contract, meaning the event will return to Tulsa this year and for four more after it. FOX23 described the show's Tulsa tenure as spanning 18 years.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited the show on a Friday, FOX23 reported. The station also noted the show is open to the public and free to attend, a point organizers have used to encourage residents to stop by and learn about the breed. For the 2023 championship, TulsaPeople reported that about 1,750 horses competed, more than 10,000 people were expected to attend, and 3,496 stalls were set up to house the animals.
Oklahoma’s Horse Population Beyond the Show
The championship takes place in a state with a substantial horse inventory. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service reported 100,916 horses and ponies on 17,840 Oklahoma farms in the 2022 Census of Agriculture. That is a statewide snapshot, not a measure of how the inventory has changed in recent years.
Attendance estimates for the event have varied across reports: KJRH cited about 5,500 attendees over the show's ten-day run in one account, while other figures referenced roughly 6,000 spectators or more than 10,000 total visitors. Whatever the precise count, the show's return to Tulsa Expo Square this week has again turned the fairgrounds into a gathering point for a community that spans generations, from longtime judges like Knowles to riders like Kimery who grew up sleeping steps away from the barn.
