Villa Louis Carriage Classic, Inc.

10/03/2026

SAVE THE DATE… we like to plan ahead! 🐴🌞🌑

The 118th Annhal Villa Louis Carriage Classic will be September 11–13, 2099, followed by a total solar eclipse in the Prairie du Chien area on September 14. Naturally, the committee is already preparing a HUGE party for the day after the show. We’ve requested clear skies and are awaiting confirmation.

Order your eclipse glasses early and book your hotel rooms soon to avoid disappointment! 😂

Please plan to stay an extra night. After decades of asking volunteers to take everything down on Monday, we’ve finally arranged for someone else to turn out the lights.

09/24/2026

A special night for the VLCC! 🐴❤️

Tonight, we were honored by the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce with the Equestrian Heritage Award, celebrating 45 years of the Villa Louis Carriage Classic!

We are incredibly grateful for the recognition—and for everyone who has been part of our 45-year journey. 🥂

09/20/2026

🐴 We’d love to hear from you!

We can honestly say our goal is to make the Villa Louis Carriage Classic better each year than the year before — and your feedback is an important part of making that happen.

We value your feedback about the 2026 VLCC. We read your comments, take them seriously, and use them throughout the year as we review what worked well and where we can improve.

Whether you joined us as a competitor, volunteer, official, patron, sponsor, vendor, or spectator, please take a few minutes to complete our 2026 VLCC Post-Event Survey:

👉 https://tinyurl.com/46xt3uvn

Thank you for helping us continue to improve the VLCC — and mark your calendars now for September 10–12, 2027!

09/17/2026

📸 A Very Special Thank You!

When unexpected changes left the Villa Louis Carriage Classic without a show photographer at the last minute, Michelle Everette of Franke Photo Design, LLC graciously stepped in at the 11th hour to cover the 2026 VLCC.

We are incredibly grateful to Michelle for sharing her time and talents with us on such short notice. She captured so many wonderful moments throughout the weekend, and she has already started publishing photos—with many more to come in the coming days!

Please take a look at her work and watch for more photos from the 2026 Villa Louis Carriage Classic:

📷 frankephotodesign.com

Thank you, Michelle, for coming through for the VLCC when we needed you! We truly appreciate you!

09/14/2026

What a weekend!

To everyone who had a hand in making the 45th Annual Villa Louis Carriage Classic possible — thank you.

There are so many people who give their time, talents, energy, and resources to this event, and we are incredibly grateful for every one of you. From our competitors and officials to our volunteers, sponsors, vendors, spectators, and the many people working quietly behind the scenes — you are what makes the VLCC so special.

Thank you for being part of another wonderful Carriage Classic. We hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as we did! ❤️🐴

See you September 10–12, 2027!

09/13/2026

Many thanks to Tom with The Drone Company for the fantastic aerial footage of the Villa Louis Carriage Classic! We truly appreciate you helping us capture the event from a whole new perspective! 🚁🐴

The beautiful 2026 Villa Louis Carriage Classic, Inc. 😍 Such a unique event that draws people from all over the world. Held on what was the Dousman Artesian Stock Farm. You can still make out the massive oval track not quite yet lost to time. Great job to Michael Rider and his team for another awesome year!

09/09/2026

🦆🦆🦆

09/08/2026

🐴 There’s More to the VLCC Than the Competition!

There’s plenty of action in the arenas at the Villa Louis Carriage Classic — but some of the best experiences happen behind the scenes!

One we especially encourage you not to miss is our Stable Tour, led by our longtime guides, Mr. and Mrs. Martin Foxworthy.

The Foxworthys will take you into the stable area for a closer look at the horses, ponies, carriages, and equipment that make up the Villa Louis Carriage Classic. It’s a chance to meet competitors, see the turnouts up close, ask questions, and learn a little more about the traditions of carriage driving — whether this is your first carriage show or your twentieth.

Stable Tours are free and open to our visitors:
Friday — 10:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m.
Saturday — 10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.
Tours meet at the Welcome Tent.

And while you’re here, make a day of it! Shop our Vendor Tent featuring 11 vendors this year, grab some food and a cold drink, browse and bid in the Silent Auction, meet competitors, and explore the showgrounds.

There’s competition happening beyond the Main Arena, too — including Timed Obstacles, Gambler’s Choice, and Cross Country–Pace Obstacles, with the water crossing being a particularly fun place to watch.

Come for the competition. Stay for everything else.

🐴 Villa Louis Carriage Classic
📅 September 11–13, 2026
📍 Saint Feriole Island • Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

And if you’ve never taken a Stable Tour with Mr. and Mrs. Foxworthy, this is the year to do it!

📸 Photo credit: Brooke Ballenger, Nashoba Carriage Classic, 2025

09/07/2026

🚂 ALL ABOARD! Next stop: the Villa Louis Carriage Classic!

However you get here — planes, trains, automobiles… or, better yet, a horse-drawn carriage — just make sure you’re headed for Prairie du Chien!

We’re full steam ahead, getting ready for three days of horses, carriages, competition, food, friends, and fun at the Villa Louis Carriage Classic, September 11–13.

The preparations are right on track, excitement is building, and we’ve got plenty of horsepower ready to roll. Frankly, we can hardly contain(er) ourselves. 🚂

There’s no need for a ticket to ride — spectator admission is FREE — so bring your family and friends and come spend the weekend with us.

Whether you arrive by highway, railway, airway, or behind a good horse, we promise it’s worth the trip. Just be careful not to get sidetracked along the way.

📍 Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
📅 September 11–13, 2026
🎟️ FREE spectator admission

So get on board — the VLCC is pulling into the station!

We hope you choo-choo-choose to join us! 🚂🐴