Horses take center stage at Danada Equestrian Center's Fall Festival

Posted October 11, 2026 4:48 pm

Daily Herald report

An Arabian horse performs for the crowd Sunday during the Fall Festival at Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton. (Karie Angell Luc/for the Daily Herald)

Sure, there were hayrides, crafts and even a straw maze, but horses stole the show this weekend as the Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton hosted its annual Fall Festival.

The fest, the largest event of the year for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, featured two days of demonstrations by skilled riders and their equine partners. Among the performers were the Midwest Renegades, the North Central Liberty Club and Arabian breed demonstrations.

A horse and rider fly the American flag Sunday during Fall Festival at Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton. (Karie Angell Luc/for the Daily Herald)

Tracy Porter of Milton, Wisconsin and her 14-year-old Paso Fino horse Jinx wowed the crowd by leaping through a ring of fire.

“It can be hot,” Porter said. “But it’s not that hard.”

Elsewhere, young visitors checked out a Kids Zone featuring live music, family activities, theater performances and pony rides.

“The cornbox seems like a lot more fun,” Lu Zahariev of Lisle said as he watched 1-year-old daughter Allie play in a sandbox filled with corn kernels. “She’s enjoying it, she’s having a great time with it.”

Allie Zahariev, 1, of Lisle plays in a sandbox filled with corn kernels Sunday during the Fall Festival at Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton. (Karie Angell Luc/for the Daily Herald)

Tracy Porter of Milton, Wisconsin and her horse Jinx leap through a ring of fire Sunday during the Fall Festival at Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton. (Karie Angell Luc/for the Daily Herald)