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This event has passed. Centenary Mane Event 2026 ran September 12. For what is happening now, see things to do in Morris County this weekend, fall festivals in Morris County and Halloween events and trick-or-treat times.
Centenary University will host its second annual Mane Event on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Centenary University Equestrian Center at 40 Califon Road in Long Valley, putting a full day of horses, food trucks and family activities inside Morris County.
The event is an equine expo, family fun day and fundraiser run by the university’s Department of Equine Studies and Animal Health. Proceeds this year go toward pasture improvements that support the ongoing care of Centenary’s equine herd.
Advance tickets are $10 per person for ages 6 and up, and children 5 and under get in free. Admission goes up to $15 at the door on September 12. Two add-ons are open for early registration: the horseless horse show at $25 and horseless barrel racing at $5 for three runs, with the best of the three times counting. Both run in age brackets of 3 to 6, 7 to 9, 10 to 17, and 18 and over, and neither price includes admission.
Last year’s first Mane Event drew roughly 400 guests and raised $37,000, which the university put toward a shockwave therapy machine used to treat its horses.
“Last year’s Mane Event demonstrated the tremendous enthusiasm that exists for Centenary University’s equine programs and the horses at the heart of our students’ education,” said Kelly Munz, dean of the Centenary University Department of Equine Studies and Animal Health.
Returning favorites include all day equine lectures, equestrian demonstrations, the Parade of the Hounds, the horseless horse show, a tricky tray, children’s crafts, face painting, bingo, shopping, and beer and food trucks. Event sponsor NEOGEN will present a lecture on botulism and its impact on equine health.
New this year are live question and answer panels, a visit from the New Jersey mounted police, a free Breyer model horse painting station, horseless barrel racing, a farrier exhibit, a 50/50 raffle, carnival games and a faculty and staff dunk tank. No riding experience is required for any of it.
Vendors on the schedule include Epona Barn, Kremps K9 Training, My Happy Place Animal Sanctuary, Sharp Iron Farm, Sip N’ Pour and Caddy’s Twisted Treats, with food and drinks from Czig Meister Brewing Company, Forno’s on Wheels, Rainbow Snow and Shugar Shack Soul Food.
Centenary University was founded in 1867 and is based in Hackettstown, but its equestrian center sits in Washington Township, the same town that runs Community Night Out at Rock Spring Park. September 12 is a busy Saturday across the county, so it is worth checking our roundup of things to do in Morris County in September and our 2026 guide to fall festivals and fairs before you plan the day.
Tickets and early registration for the horseless horse show and horseless barrel racing are open through the Centenary Mane Event registration portal. Vendor and sponsor questions go to Kristin Hendrickson at Kristin.Hendrickson@centenaryuniversity.edu.
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