Like a Frommer’s Guide to Horse Shows: Top 25 rankings

Have you ever gone to a horse show and been like, “These ribbons are so lame” or “This footing is like quicksand”? Well, NARG has come to the rescue with a handy horse show guide.

In this annual guide from the North American Riders Group (NARG), horses shows throughout North America are ranked on categories including footing, stabling, courses/jumps, technical aspects, financial, ceremony, marketing/press relations and miscellaneous. Points are tallied for a percentage total and assembled into an ordered list of the top 25 competitions in North America.

According to the report, “By taking the time to numerically evaluate the best horse shows in America, [NARG] set out to achieve an essential goal—improving our sport.”

Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Canada earned the top slot for 2011 with a score of 92%. NARG applauded the show for its ambiance, its immaculate grounds, its friendly staff, its ample prize money and ceremony proceedings (if you win a big class, they basically throw you a parade) and–yes–its amazing food. You won’t find any lukewarm nachos or microwaved hot-dogs at Spruce Meadows, no sir-ee.

Runners-up are as follows:

Read the full report here.

Photo credit: www.visitcalgary.com