Wheaton's Danada Fall Festival of the Horse

In the early days of the Danada Fall Festival of the Horse, some 25 years ago, the event was aimed at simply publicizing the equestrian center.

That very first year, organizers were thrilled 350 showed up.

This weekend they expect between 10,000 and 12,000 visitors for the event that morphed into something that's just fun for everyone involved," said Matt Trynoski, equestrian supervisor.

Whether it's checking out uncommon breeds like the Icelandic horse, savoring a showing of cart horses or getting the chance to groom a pony, there are plenty of equine-centered events throughout the day.

Activities stretch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Danada Equestrian Center, 3S507 Naperville Road, Wheaton.

The main performance ring will house two segments, one lasting from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and another from 2 to 5 p.m. Each session includes displays of jumping and dressage, trail horse work, a parade of horse breeds, a variety of horse-pulled carriages and carts, and gaited horses including Tennessee Walkers, Rocky Mountain horses, Missouri Foxtrotters, Icelandic horses, and American Saddlebreds.

Danada's rescued mustangs will give a performance and the center's musical drill team will strut its stuff to a "007" theme.

This past summer, two of Danada's draft horses gave birth, expanding the herd. Drivers will hitch up the mothers as a team, them drive them through the arena with the foals, in tow.

Trynoski said young draft horses are trained by outfitting them in full draft regalia and having them run alongside their working mothers.

Horse-drawn hayrides will run throughout the day at fifteen-minute intervals. Tickets are $5 for anyone over 12 years old, $2 for kids between five and 12, and free for children under five years of age.

The Friends of Danada will conduct a pumpkin painting station where children can paint their designs on the orange gourds for a small fee based on the size of the pumpkin.