The National Equine Show

At The National Equine Show you can shop kit, feed and care brands and meet riders and personalities under one roof, over two days in Halls 9 and 10 at NEC Birmingham. The National Equine Show is a shopping show for horse owners and riders, run by Raccoon Media Group, and the organiser says it brings those brands together with riders and personalities. The 2027 show is its fifth.

Dates, tickets and what entry gets you

Your general admission ticket covers more than 10 first-come meet and greets, over 17 features, more than 170 brands and over 30 stage sessions with 45+ speakers, and talks need no booking. The show runs on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February 2027. Doors open at 9am on both days and close at 5pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday, and you can enter at any time in between.

Ticket	Price
Adult, both days	£25
Adult, one day	£15
Child up to 16	£5
Under 12	Free
Paddock Pass add-on	£25, then £15 for each extra meet and greet

No ID is needed, and only service dogs may come into the hall.

A guaranteed meet and greet with the Paddock Pass

The Paddock Pass gets you one guaranteed meet and greet with a guest you choose, in a dressed area in Hall 10, plus one entry into a £1,000 prize draw, with the winner announced on 8 March 2027. The organiser added it for 2027 in response to feedback from the 2026 show, and says queues for its most popular guests became very long in previous years. It is an add-on to an entry ticket, not a ticket on its own. Named guests include Harlow Luna White, Esme Higgs, Megan Elphick, Demir and Joe Ashman. Each of these guests also appears on the Inspiration Stage.

Stages, features and speakers

You can hear riders, trainers and creators across two education theatres, the Inspiration Stage and the 360 Skills Stage, which is sponsored by the Society of Master Saddlers. Speakers announced for 2027 include eventer and influencer Megan Elphick, trainer and performer Ben Atkinson, rider and TikTok creator Demir Topcu, rider Hannah Sims (sillyprune) and horse trainer Freddy Steele. Features on the published list include:

• the Hobby Horse Arena, sponsored by Hobby Horse Adventures
• the Pony Club Zone and the PolyJumps Eventer Experience
• the Alternative Discipline Hub with the Knights of Middle England
• the Mindset Space with Flying Changes Mindset
• therapy ponies from Lunar Eclipse EFL Therapy Horses CIC
• a New or Small Business Zone and the Influencer Games

If you want a show earlier in the season, two others in the equestrian sector come first: Your Horse Live at NAEC Stoneleigh opens on 6 November 2026, and Westpoint Equine Fair in Exeter on 5 December 2026.

Size and history

You are visiting a show the organiser says has grown each year since it began, with more than 18,000 people attending in 2026. Its FAQ and exhibitor pages put the number of brands at over 170, while the show homepage gives a figure of 200+. Raccoon Media Group also runs the National Running Show, which returns to the NEC on 30 January 2027.

Exhibiting and sponsorship

If your brand serves the equestrian market, you can apply for space, and the organiser says exhibitors bring new season stock, bespoke products and new technology. Enquiries about getting involved go to Event Director Liz Ormesher, and the Get Involved page offers a brochure and a floorplan request. Three sponsorship tiers are published, each with space and show tickets included:

• Platinum, for one company: a 16sqm boutique space, 200 show tickets, 50% off extra tickets and sponsorship of the VIP enclosure
• Gold, for two companies: a 16sqm space, 100 tickets, 50% off extra tickets and one of the lanyard, registration, refreshments or bag sponsorships
• Silver, for four companies: a 12sqm space, 50 tickets and 20% off extra tickets

If your brand is new to exhibiting, you may find our guides on choosing your first UK trade show and building an exhibition budget useful.

Getting there

You can arrive by train at Birmingham International station, a five-minute covered walk from the halls, and the free Air-Rail Link from Birmingham Airport reaches the station in 90 seconds. If you drive, enter B40 1NT, then follow event signs to the car park, as the postcode does not lead to it. Parking is charged, cheaper when prepaid on the NEC website, and free shuttle buses link the car parks to the halls. Other shows in Birmingham that winter include LAMMA from 20 January 2027.

Source: nationalequineshow.com, nationalequineshow.com/faq, nationalequineshow.com/get-involved, thenec.co.uk