No two Equine Affaires are ever alike, I learned after my whirlwind weekend in Massachusetts last month. I’m home now (after quite a few detours, more on that later!), sipping Nespresso and am still smiling about all the fun moments that made Equine Affaire 2025 one for the books. Literally.
A Booth Full of Pony Book Magic
On Day One, my booth in the Better Living Center was buzzing. My borrowed wild swimming ponies backdrop from the International Chincoteague Pony Association and Registry really caught shoppers’ attention and drew them in.
And the life-sized foal Misty, my faithful statue friend, posed for countless selfies, while readers of all ages stopped by to swap Chincoteague stories and pick up copies of my horse books.
The Saddle Seeks Horse Bundle with something for every horse book reader.
The booth shared with my author friend Kathy Simmers of Read Jump the Moon was a finalist for the Best Booth Award.
Did we win?
Not officially.
Should we have? Of course! lol
One of my favorite parts of the weekend was meeting people who have loved Marguerite Henry and Misty of Chincoteague for decades.
At one point a reader walked up and produced an actual 1979 letter signed by Marguerite Henry!
The Wesley Dennis-designed letterhead showed “busts” of our favorite characters such as Sham, Misty, Sea Star, Justin Morgan’s Figure, etc. Talk about feel good!
Had a great turnout for both of my Misty and Marguerite Henry themed talks! 🙂
Presenting on Misty of Chincoteague, Marguerite & Pony Swim Magic
My Friday presentation, The Writing and Riding Life of Marguerite Henry and Her Relationship with Misty, was so fun.
I shared the backstory behind the creation of Misty of Chincoteague, how Marguerite came to meet Misty and some of her writing best practices.
I gave another talk, Watch the Chincoteague Pony Swim in Real Life or From Afar in which I gave tips for planning a bucket-list trip to see the Pony Swim today (including must-see Chincoteague attractions, a mini packing list and my top dining picks).
If you have ever dreamed about seeing the wild ponies swim, you’ve gotta go. Read this blog post to catch the spirit and learn how.
Throughout the weekend, several Chincoteague Pony owners, a Feather Fund alum, and families planning their first visit to the swim stopped by to visit with me.
These conversations remind me why I love this community so much and why horse stories are important: horses bring people together in the most unexpected ways.
Sneaked away from my booth to model Saddle Up Clothing’s cozy sweatshirt with my books!
Friends Old & New
A big part of Equine Affaire is the people you get to meet (or finally meet in real life!). Some highlights:
My amazing road-trip buddy Margo of Saddle Up Brand, whose cozy horsey apparel is as fun as she is.
Swung by the Adulting with Horses podcast booth to say hi to Heather and Natalie!
The dynamic, sassy author duo Natalie Keller Reinert and Heather Wallace (@timidrider) at their Adulting with Horses Podcast booth (see photo above), a destination for weird horse-girl fun.
They had so many stickers and cool pins! I’ve known these fellow writers for several years now, and their friendship means so much to me—they are inspiring and so authentic!
The hilarious, wonderful Rosanna of Stable & Fields, who had me laughing so hard I was sweating. True story.
I’ve known Rosanna since I found her during the pandemic shutdown thanks to her Etsy candle business, but had never met her in real life until this show. I felt like we were old friends immediately.
I reconnected with Sarah Louise Lilly (an EFT/ “tapping” practitioner) whom I met last year (she was a guest on the Barn Banter podcast I co-host), and Abby, the Instagram book reviewer @bookdragonabby.
Families, 4-Hers, and book-loving kids took photos with the little Misty and told me about their own pony dreams. One toddler hung onto the pony and hugged it as if it were a living creature—soooo cute!
Fantasia Feats
This year’s Fantasia was phenomenal and did not disappoint. The Roman riders were outstanding (literally) on the backs of two horses at once. It was fun to see the Canadian Cowgirls drill team. Such precision in action!
And I loved the bold, strapping Percherons pulling chariots as though they were practicing for a toned-down scene from Ben Hur. When you schedule your fun getaway to Equine Affaire, you MUST order Fantasia tickets. Trust me, you’ll love it!
Road-Trip Adventures on the Long Way Home
Most people head straight home after a big event. Not when road tripping with Margo, whose motto is “pack the trip.” Our drive home from Massachusetts to the Midwest turned into a mini equestrian tour:
Stop #1: We visited artist Lisa Palombo at her New Jersey studio for coffee, laughter, and jaw-dropping artwork. Lisa is a contemporary American Impressionist known for painting racehorse greats such as Secretariat, Seattle Slew and a recent project—Famous Fillies Folio (see the fillies above), with standout ladies such as Zenyatta, Winning Colors, Rachel Alexandra, Ruffian and more. She also has a series of sweet woodland creatures and has even painted Yankee (MLB) greats like Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter.
I want to pet all the sweet and furry Chincoteague foals!!!
Stop #2: We journeyed during a snowfall to Stoney Creek Chincoteagues in Pennsylvania to see fuzzy baby ponies in their “kindergarten” pasture. My heart melted despite the c-c-c-cold temps.
Stop #3: Next we rolled into Kentucky Horse Park to visit the new Cody’s Wish sculpture by Jocelyn Russell and my forever-favorite—Misty of Chincoteague. We snapped some photos of Misty’s First Christmas with the most adorable sculpture.
The “Air Mattress” I’ll Never Forget
One of the most unforgettable and hilarious moments happened in Paris, Kentucky. We booked a last-minute Air BnB reservation to stay in the same town with a stunning, larger-than-life Secretariat statue (also by Jocelyn Russell).
Well, there were three of us in our group. Long story short, the darling Paris-themed rental had a large bedroom with only one king bed. As the world’s lightest sleeper (yes, I travel with an air purifier, earplugs and will throw a pillow over my head to dampen the slightest noise) I hopefully began opening every door in the place to find the second bedroom. Womp, womp…
There was only one bedroom with one king size bed for three adult females. Margo notified the host, and he shared there were two air mattresses in the closet. Well, Margo dragged air mattress number one out, and Pam dragged out the second one—which was in a black bag. As Pam brought the item out, four yellow stakes slid onto the floor. “Is this a tent?” she asked.
I stood there trying to process why Margo’s mattress was taking so long to blow up, and as Pam activated the air pump for the second mattress it took on the shape of those blow up figures used by car dealerships to catch attention—like a floppy rag doll.
“That mattress should be blown up by now,” I insisted as several minutes in, Margo continued pumping air in the queen air mattress. Meanwhile, as Pam’s mattress was blown up, it took on an even weirder shape! “It’s a trampoline!” I burst out laughing. I really was convinced it was a trampoline.
The edges were black and inflated in the shape of a large foam roller with an extremely flat white rectangular shape. I wondered, “Is this a four-poster bed that you put over the other mattress?”
Pam burst out, “It’s a backyard projection screen!” Needless to say, we could not stay at the rental and found a more accommodating hotel room in Lexington with actual beds.
Until Next Year… Tally Ho!
If you came out to the event, stopped by the booth, attended my talks, or even followed along on social media, thank you. You helped make Equine Affaire Massachusetts 2025 a joyful, horse-girl-heart-full kind of weekend. Hope to see you there in 2026! Thanks for reading. 🙂
Tally ho,
Susan
Psssttt!!! If you love horse books, grab a copy of my free guide to help you plan your next read.
Follow my adorable TB Knight and me on Facebook and Instagram. Stay in the loop on author talks and special events.
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
Related Posts
I'm Susan and this is my horse Knight. We have been a blogging team since 2015 and we're glad you're here. Tally ho!
