National Appaloosa show returning to OKC in 2023

The national Appaloosa Horse Club (AHC) recently signed a three-year contract with Oklahoma City to host its 75th National Appaloosa Show in 2023 and the 2023 World Championship Appaloosa Youth Show. The event runs June 27 through July 5.

The move from their current venue, Tulsa, Okla., to Oklahoma City will be a homecoming for the Appaloosa Horse Show as the show was previously held at the OKC Fairgrounds throughout the 90s and into the 2000s.

“If you look at those cities that annually compete for these types of events, places such as Tulsa, Fort Worth, Las Vegas and others, Oklahoma City’s new coliseum will stand up to or even exceed all of those cities’ coliseums and arenas. The AHC wanted to be part of that momentum,” said Zac Craig, president of the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau, a division of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

In an earlier news release announcing the move, AHC Executive Secretary Kristopher Byrd said, “We are excited to have the opportunity to send off the [Ron Norick Arena] in style, and we look forward to the experience the new coliseum will provide our members. These shows will truly be next-level events in a premier facility that you don’t want to miss.”

Craig recognized the staff at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds for their roles in helping bring back the National Appaloosa Show to OKC, specifically the contributions of former president and CEO of Oklahoma State Fair, Inc., Tim O’Toole; current president and CEO Kirk Slaughter; and senior vice president Bill Allen.

This story originally appeared in the October 2022 edition of the VeloCity newsletter.