It was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

It was a packed house to see the reining at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. (Tonya Ratliff-Garrison)

The vehicles on Germany’s autobahn were backed up for miles, all trying to exit to the 2006 World Equestrian Games show grounds in Aachen.

“They are all here to see the horse show?” I asked AQHA International Director David Avery, who was driving the van in which seven of us were riding to the event. He just turned his head toward me and grinned.

The throng waiting to get onto the grounds looked like something you would see in America for a big sports event like the Super Bowl or the World Series. I’d never seen a crowd like this for a horse show, though.

Once on the grounds, it was even more amazing. There were people everywhere and the facilities were incredible. It was much like a smaller version of the Olympics with people of different nationalities everywhere and state-of-the-art show facilities.

For the next four days, I was in awe as I toured the grounds, visited with other horse lovers and watched some of the best equestrians in the world.

Of course, I also spent a good amount of my time covering the reining events for the Journal, and the crowds continued to amaze me. The reining stadium held 8,000 people but there must have been more than that in there. You couldn’t even see the aisles. So many people were standing in them to watch the world’s top reiners and their American Quarter Horses perform.

I was sad when it was over but excited to learn the event would be traveling to America in 2010. It would be the first time the World Equestrian Games would leave Europe for the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

That was three years ago, and on September 25 it will be just one year before the 2010 event begins. Tickets will go on sale that day to the general public, but because AQHA is an official sponsor and the official reining breed sponsor, members can actually buy tickets earlier.

Starting at noon (EST) through midnight (EST) September 23, AQHA members will have the exclusive opportunity to purchase a limited quantity of tickets to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, which is September 25-October 10, 2010. For the details on how to get your tickets, click here.

Of course, the tickets aren’t cheap, ranging in price for the reining from $95 to $120, which is September 25-30, 2010. But they are well worth the cost.

We might not ever see the World Equestrian Games back in the United States and for many fans, this might be their only chance to see the games. There will be some of the best equestrian athletes and horses in the world there, and you shouldn’t pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

To give everyone a little taste of what the World Equestrian Games will be like, I have gathered some of my photos from the 2006 games. Every time I see them, I’m still amazed that I was there to see such an incredible event. I hope next year, you feel the same way.

Tonya Ratliff-Garrison
Field Editor
American Quarter Horse Journal

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Check out photos from the final four days of the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. Click on the photos to see the captions.