ERIN – Angelstone Events has been operating here since 2011.
Owner and Erin native Keean White purchased the farm property, which he originally used as his training facility for horse jumping, in 2007.
He had ridden as a top-list professional with the Canadian Equestrian Team from 1997 until about 2020, when he retired from the sport to focus on business.
In an effort to grow something special in the community, White transformed the 65-acre plot of land into an event space that has become home to some of the most prestigious horse shows in the country.
In 2009 White began thinking about running a horse show. At first it was intended to be one-week show, as he felt the sport and facilities in Ontario weren’t up to par with his experiences competing around the world.
The idea was to develop the property and build a ring for competing, a warm-up ring with a grass field, and a few paddocks.
After the first event that hosted 120 horses in 2011, the facility expanded to three rings in 2012, and to four rings by 2015.
Today there are five rings on the property, over 700 stables, and a main stadium that seats around 5,000 people, with additional stables brought in for the larger events.
Champagne Shower – Top finishers celebrate on the podium.
“We just kind of got momentum and kept growing and investing – kept building and kept putting out a better product,” said White.
“In 2015, the Caledon Equestrian Park got the PanAm games, which came with about $20 million from the government to build their facility.”
Though privately owned, Angelstone Events was not only able to put together the capital to stay competitive, but by 2020, it was large enough to buyout Caledon Equestrian Park.
Now, between the two sites, Angelstone runs 36 equestrian events a year.
From July 6 to 9 this year, it hosted the Silver Series West 4, which showcased horses and riders from across Wellington County and beyond.
The Silver Series was added to the events list in 2019 as a grassroots series consisting of five shows with beginner-level competitions.
“It’s really based on getting the local community involved,” White said in a July 16 interview.
“Most of the competitors in the silver series live within an hour of the venue, so it’s about getting them out to get to use the facility. It’s like a rep hockey team getting to play at Maple Leaf Gardens for a game.”
“It’s really to make sure that people like ‘mom and dad who live down the road on a little farm with two horses and little Sally who’s been riding for two years’, have a place where they can come and compete.”
From parking to admission, all the events at Angelstone are free to attend.
Leaps and bounds – competition is fierce at Angelstone Events.
“We also have paid areas and reserved seating areas, but from the start, every single event we run always has free options for families to come out and enjoy the sport,” White added.
“We try to create an atmosphere of entertainment, whether you’re a fan of showjumping or not.”
The keystone show is the world-class Major League Show Jumping event that runs Aug. 17 to 19.
“We have riders from 14 countries around the world fly in for the week, with $1.1 million in prize money over three big nights,” said White.
“It has become like the Formula One of the sport. There are 10 events around North America, with $11 million in prize money over 10 shows.
“There are eight teams, and each team sends four riders to each event. There’s a team competition where teams earn points throughout the year. So that’s kind of our high-level, five-star event.”
During the Major League Event, guests can expect bouncy castles, face painting, a petting zoo, KidZone, a variety of live music and entertainment, and more.
“We put on a serious show. We have celebrity chefs catering the event, specialty cocktails, halftime entertainment, live music … it’s really like a three-day festival that draws around 15,000 people,” said White.
“We like to give families an entire night of entertainment that costs nothing.
“You do not have to be a fan of equestrian sports to have a heck of a night.”
Looking forward, White is trying to create more opportunities for the sport to grow.
The boutique-style event space in Erin has just about reached its limit since growing participation by about 20% annually for the last four or five years.
White has started to make large investments in the 100-acre property in Caledon.
In a 2018 Horse Canada article, White said, “You have to be willing to fight. This is a very difficult business and a very difficult sport. It’s a difficult career.
“It makes you very strong mentally, it teaches you a lot about life and how to fight and how to get through difficult times.”
Today Angelstone Events employs about 150 people between its two properties and provides volunteer opportunities for University of Guelph students to gain experience in event planning, administration, hospitality, social media development, marketing and more.
For more information about Angelstone Events, visit angelstone.ca.
