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B&B Congress Chronicles: Day Two - It’s Go Time
September 25, 2026 | Columbus, Ohio
Eight horses settled in. Good practice rides behind us. Riders arriving tonight. Plenty of caffeine and very little sleep.
Tomorrow, the show begins.
Day Two at the 2026 All American Quarter Horse Congress finds the B&B Reinebach crew getting ready for opening weekend at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio. Our horses have done well in their practice rides, and we are pleased with how they are settling into their surroundings. There is still work ahead, but it feels good to have those first rides under our belts.
Back home in Princeville, Illinois, this trip was marked on the calendar. Now we are here, and the anticipation is real.
Settled In and Looking Ahead
In Congress Chronicles: Day One, we shared the midnight departure, the haul of just over 400 miles, and the arrival with eight horses. Getting them settled and rested came first.
Today, the focus has shifted toward the show pen.
Practice rides give us time to feel where each horse is and what they need before competition begins. A good ride is something to build on. Each horse still gets its own preparation, its own attention, and the time it needs.
Our riders begin arriving tonight, bringing more of the barn family together as we head into a busy weekend. We are looking forward to having everyone here. This is what we have been working toward.
Three Arenas. One Team.
At Congress, getting to the gate is a team effort.
Opening weekend, September 26–27, spreads reining and ranch classes across multiple arenas. For B&B, that means preparing to have different horses in three different arenas at the same time.
The weekend’s schedule includes:
Coughlin Celeste / Celeste Center: Novice Horse Open reining Saturday, followed by Open Reining and the Open Derby Sunday.
VS Code Red Coliseum: Youth reining and freestyle Saturday, with amateur and youth reining Sunday.
CINCH Arena: Ranch riding and working western rail across the weekend.
For complete class listings and any updates, check the official Congress horse show schedule.
Three arenas means three schedules to watch. One horse may be showing while another is warming up and the next is leaving the stalls. Draws move at different speeds. The walk to each arena takes time.
You cannot prepare every horse on the same clock.
We have to know who has the next horse, where that horse needs to be, and how the draws are moving. We also have to keep an eye on the horse in front of us.
A schedule matters, but so does knowing when a horse needs more time or has done enough. Back at the stalls, the care continues through all of it. Every hand matters.
Take a Walk With Brock
It is hard to appreciate the size of Congress until you see how much ground there is to cover.
Brock shared a video to give everyone following from home a better sense of the place. Those distances factor into the planning, too. Getting from the stalls to the pen belongs on the schedule right alongside warming up and showing.
Throughout our Congress Chronicles, we will take you along for the practice rides, the trips to the arenas, and the barn family behind each horse and rider. There is a lot of Congress that happens before anyone steps through the gate.
Tomorrow, We Show.
Tonight, our riders start arriving. Tomorrow, opening weekend gets underway.
We are short on sleep, well supplied with caffeine, and ready to cheer for this team. To our owners, riders, families, and everyone following B&B Reinebach from home: thank you for being part of it.
The horses are here. The work is underway. It’s go time.
Who are you cheering for this weekend? Leave a little encouragement for the B&B Show Team in the comments.
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