Welcome to Horse Progress Days 2026
The local planners welcome you to Illinois for the 32nd annual Horse Progress Days. We look forward to hosting all of you from near and far to our event held on a working farm in rural Arcola Illinois. There are plenty of farms, shops and other attractions in the locality to make this trip one to enjoy. We want to thank the Lavern Yoder family for facilitating their farm for this event, let’s be respectful to their property and stay out of private property and be diligent about picking up our trash.
As Horse Progress Days evolves into an event to inspire innovative agriculture on the family farm, there are plenty of new ideas and presentations that are sure to spark interest in young farmers. The Homemaker and Homesteader areas continue to thrive and create new ideas; our planners have some exciting new activities to showcase. We start the event with a guided bus tour of local businesses then start the mornings with the much-anticipated Pony Express which is always a highlight to our next generation. As you come into event you will be greeted with the tasty aroma of homemade breakfast and they have plenty of fresh food available all day in several locations on the grounds.
Be sure to check out all of the different Seminars that are sharing educational content. A children’s play area and petting zoo with real animals are sure to be a hit with the kids. The standard of Horse Progress Days, the field demonstrations are sure to be interesting to all who want to see real horse power at work. You might wonder how the Illinois prairie has any logging opportunities, well this farm has lots of standing timber and our logging coordinators have some exciting stuff to showcase you. Be sure to stay around for the Breed Presentation in the evening before you head to your lodging, this part of Horse Progress Days is looking to be something you don’t want to miss.
We look forward to meeting you and hope to share a safe event with you.
Virgil Yoder
General Coordinator