About Us

It is the purpose of Horse-A-Rama to

• Create and improve the horse show facilities on the grounds of Manitowoc County Expo, Inc.

• Promote the safety of horse owners and exhibitors using the equine facilities.

• Generate interest in and educate the public about horses and the equine industry.

For more information on becoming a Horse-A-Rama participant, please visit our Registration page.

In 1987, members of the four horse organizations active in Manitowoc County, the Branch River Riding Club, the Timberline Horsemen, the American Saddlebred Association of Wisconsin, and the Manitowoc County 4-H Horse and Pony Project, sharing a common vision to improve the show ring facilities for the horse people in Manitowoc County, especially for the young horse enthusiasts, organized the fund-raiser, Horse-A-Rama.

Spring of 1988 saw the first Horse-A-Rama event, held at the Manitowoc County Expo Center. The event was bustling with excitement and activity as people from all walks of life came to see and experience the World of Horses. They were able to browse among a wide array of vendors displaying arts and crafts, fashionable clothing, horse equipment, professional photographers, and just about anything else they could want. The horse barns were filled to capacity with various breeds of horses, all waiting to show off their special traits and talents to the enthusiastic crowds.

With the efforts of so many dedicated volunteers and support from local businesses, the first Horse-A-Rama was more successful than ever imagined. The committee decided to continue the event and set a goal of building a high-quality horse show facility at the Manitowoc County Expo Center.

Looking at the horse facilities today, it is hard to believe that in 1974 the first horse show ring was a snow fence and the announcer stand was a hay wagon. Each year since the beginning of Horse-A-Rama has brought improvements to the horse facilities. Most projects and improvements can be seen today and prove true that the Horse-A-Rama committee still holds fast to its vision.

The Horse-A-Rama committee would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who have contributed their time, talents, and efforts to the success of Horse-A-Rama over the years. This endeavor truly was a team effort.

The following is a timeline of projects that have been completed at the Manitowoc County Expo Center to give our supporters an idea of what their monies have done:

1988	Prepared the footing and constructed the 140' x 250' show ring.
1989	Built the show office/announcer stand and improved the condition of the existing horse barns.
1990	Purchased equipment for maintaining the show ring, built bleachers for spectators, and made more improvements to the landscape and existing horse barns.
1991	Improved the drainage around the show ring and replaced the stall doors in the existing horse barns.
1992	The proceeds from Horse-A-Rama were put into savings for the committee's biggest project yet: an additional horse barn.
1993	Built the new 60' x 100' horse barn.
1994	Constructed the 20 wood stalls along the outer walls of the new horse barn.
1995	Installed portable horse stalls in the new horse barn and made more improvements on the older horse barns.
1996 to 1997	Purchased aluminum bleachers and installed barn signs.
1998 to 2002	Constructed a warm-up ring, expanded the existing show office, installed new gates on the show ring, and painted the interiors of older horse barns.
2003	Expanded the show office building to include a larger office/entry area, a storage building for equipment, and an updated kitchen with appliances and cabinetry.
2004	Added a new sound system with speakers; installed an audio-visual system.
2005	Installed air-conditioning and heating units to horse show office; added another sound system. Presently saving for the construction of a new horse barn.
2006	Presently saving for the construction of a horse barn.

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