A new Equine Festival, which will take place this Saturday (May 26) and Sunday (May 27) at the Lindsay Fairgrounds, will include a special tribute to San Pail, Canada’s 2011 Horse of the Year

.

There will also be a special exhibit on San Pail courtesy of his connections and Standardbred Canada’s 'I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club.'

The different breed displays and demonstrations from the All About Horses event are being combined with the professional rodeo events of the Rawhide Extreme Rodeo.

San Pail will be recognized during Saturday evening’s Parade of Champions (about 5:30 p.m.) Co-owner and trainer Rod Hughes will ride in a four-horse hitch in the parade while the announcer introduces Rod and provides highlights on San Pail’s racing exploits.

A wide variety of riding and driving demonstrations, and heavy and light-breed displays, will take place throughout both days in the LEX Show Barn. Some of the more unusual breeds to be featured this year include the very beautiful Gypsy Vanner, Endurance Arabian, Norwegian Fjord, and Andalusian horses, to name just a few. Educational sessions featuring clinicians Randy Bird, Wendy Downer and Jim Higgs will also take place daily. The always crowd-pleasing heavy-horse hitches, featuring the Belgian, Clydesdale, Percheron, and Commercial horse breeds, will be featured each day prior to the start of the rodeo.

The Rawhide 'Extreme' Rodeo will feature professional rodeo events, including Bareback Bronc Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Barrel Racing, Bull Riding and much more. Rodeo performances will take place in front of the Grandstand Saturday evening starting at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.

For show hours and more information, visit equinefestival.ca

(With files from the Equine Festival)