Livestock Naile Scaled

11/6/19 - Largest Livestock Exposition in the World Arrives in Louisville

Published: November 6, 2019 Updated: April 19, 2024
Tags:  Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (November 6, 2019) - About 30,000 animals and their owners from around the globe will move into the Kentucky Exposition Center as they compete in the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) for nearly $750,000 in premiums and awards. Last year the event drew competitors, exhibitors and attendees from 49 states and six foreign countries, with an economic impact of $8 million.

NAILE is the largest all-breed, purebred livestock exposition in the world and runs Nov. 5-21, 2019. The expo features eleven divisions of livestock competition including Dairy Cattle, Beef Cattle, Dairy Goat, Meat Goat, Swine, Sheep, Llama, Alpaca, Mule, Draft Horse and Quarter Horse.

NAILE offers a variety of experiences for livestock enthusiasts and those new to the exposition world:

  • The North American Quarter Horse Show

  • The North American Marketplace

  • The North American Championship Rodeo

  • Livestreaming of select events


North American Quarter Horse Show

The North American Quarter Horse Show returns to Broadbent Arena Nov. 5-13, 2019.

The quadruple-judged, quadruple-point North American Quarter Horse Show features more than 200 classes of events over its nine-day run. The show attracts upwards of 1,500 entries, with around $25,000 in prize money at stake. Competition classes include cutting, reining, halter, team penning, Western pleasure, tie-down roping, pole bending and barrel racing.

The show is sanctioned by the American Quarter Horse Association, the National Cutting Horse Association and the National Reining Horse Association.

North American Marketplace

Each year shoppers look forward to the North American Marketplace, which takes place exclusively during NAILE. The North American Marketplace features more than 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and 200 vendors offering clothing, belt buckles, sweets, cowboy hats, arts and crafts, books, musical instruments, handcrafted furniture and jewelry.

All the latest products related to showing livestock are also available, including specialized vehicle trailers for transporting animals and various livestock gear. In addition to the shopping, the Children’s Barnyard provides opportunities for guests to interact with rabbits, mini-horses, lambs, newly-hatched ducklings
and other animals.

The marketplace is located in the North Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center and is open daily Nov. 9- 21 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Extended hours run 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 12-13, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 14-16.

North American Championship Rodeo

The North American Championship Rodeo will take place in Freedom Hall Nov. 14-16. From barrel racing to bull riding, cowboys and cowgirls will compete for the coveted first-place finish and cash prizes. Friday, Nov. 15 is “Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night” with a portion of ticket sales going to Horses and Hope, a breast cancer awareness organization.

Tickets are available online at www.ticketmaster.com/artist/834727?tm_link=tm_header_search.

NAILE Livestream

Interested guests can experience NAILE anywhere with livestream on select events free of charge. Footage will be broadcast by Walton Webcasting from four locations throughout the Kentucky Exposition Center and include both judged competitions and sales. The broadcast schedule and livestream coverage will be posted on the NAILE website at www.livestockexpo.org/livestream.html. Archived footage from past years is also available for viewing.

NAILE admission is $6 for adults and free for children under 12, and parking is $10 daily. Event passes are valid for the entirety of NAILE and are $25 for admission and $25 for parking.

For more information, including a schedule of events, visit www.livestockexpo.org.

Follow along on Facebook at facebook.com/KYNAILE and Instagram at instagram.com/KY_NAILE.