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THE BRANDON SUN • WINTER FAIR • MARCH 2025
Vince, one of the Arthur family’s eight Clydesdale draft horses, waits to be harnessed. (Matt Packwood/The Brandon Sun)
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including the hunter jumpers, the heavies, the hackneys, tow teams, barrel racing, and the cattle show. If it has four legs and comes from a farm, she oversees it. “It’s usually a big job. Most days I’m there in the office 16 to 18 hours per day, but I always have good help too which is fantastic,” Klassen said. It’s a big job, and not just the week of the Winter Fair. Klassen oversees livestock entries for the Provincial Exhibition’s other marquee events, namely the Summer Fair and Ag Ex. Klassen has travelled all over West- ern Canada and the United States for similar events, showing her own horses, but eagerly awaits the Winter Fair’s arrival every year. Having been to many indoor and outdoor shows, coming back to the second largest indoor show in Cana- da always feels like a treat. “It’s a fantastic show. The Keystone is a beautiful facility to hold it in. I
don’t know if people of western Mani- toba realize how much of a gem we’ve got. It’s just a great show to come to,” Klassen said. “The horse show is like a little com- munity. You meet up with all your friends and connections and it’s just a great time. “We all live to show horses. A lot of us are just working to keep the tradi- tion alive,” Klassen added. Through all the change, Klassen pointed to the constant of the week of spring break and knowing that week is circled on the calendar well in advance. Whether she’s there as an organiz- er or participant, she’s proud to keep the tradition alive. “This is our one show a year that we get big name riders as well as local competitors from Manitoba and Sas- katchewan, and it’s just incredible to walk into the arena and other riders are encouraging you, giving you ad- vice and help along the way,” Klassen added.
For those that show horses or com- pete, it’s just one of many elements that factor into whether they make the journey to Brandon or not. For some, it’s never in doubt. ••••• Cindy Klassen has been hooked ever since taking part in her first Win- ter Fair not long after moving to Bran- don in 1990. The former Brandonite moved to Saskatoon after 20 years in the Wheat City, and despite the move, the draw to the fair keeps her coming back each year after a near-lifetime of showing horses and a career that in- cluded running a stable of her own. “I was born with it. From the time I was born I loved horses,” said Klassen. “It was something I had to do. It ap- plies to life. If you fall off, you get back on. I just grew a passion for the sport.” Klassen now serves as the Live- stock Coordinator for the Winter Fair,
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