From now through April 2026, weekends at the Grays Harbor Fair and Event Center will echo with the sounds of laughter, cheering and horses as the WAHSET teams from Districts 2, 3, 4, and 6 will come together to compete. This includes student athletes from Bethel, Eatonville, Ilwaco, La Center, Orting, Wishkah (Twin Valley), White River and Yelm (District 2); Battle Ground, Camas, Enumclaw, Hazen, Kelso, North Thurston and Woodland (District 3);  Montesano, North Kitsap, Ridgefield, Rochester, Sequim (District 4); and Elma, Hockinson, Tumwater, Washougal and WF West (District 5).

WAHSET is an acronym for the Washington High School Equestrian Team, a high-school level equestrian organization in Washington state.  WAHSET Is a competitive equestrian program for high school students (grades 9–12) who want to ride horses and compete in a variety of events.  Students compete in district meets (across several regions of the state) and can qualify for a State Championship Meet held each year. The organization focuses on sportsmanship, teamwork, horsemanship skills, and peer support while giving riders recognition like a sport.

Riders can participate in a variety of equestrian events, including Performance classes (like dressage, jumping, showmanship), Timed events (like barrels, poles, keyhole) and Team events (like drill team or team sorting)

Any high school student in WA can join if their school has a team, and it doesn’t require school funding — the teams are typically volunteer-run and covered by the WAHSET organization for liability and insurance.  And students don’t always need to own a horse to participate; some riders compete as grooms or share horses.

There are seven districts in total, which means more than half of them use the Grays Harbor Fairgrounds and Event Center for their annual meets. “Hosting WAHSET meets at the Fairgrounds brings a meaningful and sustained benefit to the local community,” shares Heather Gage-Brix WAHSET District 4 chair. “With four of WAHSET’s seven districts holding all three of their meets in Grays Harbor, this results in 12 three-day events over a four-month period.”  According to Tiffany Venters, WAHSET District 6 chair, “Local businesses provide everything you may have forgotten at home, from food to horse feed.  It’s also a wonderful place for our athletes to make lasting memories together.

WAHSET Meets occur Thursday through Sunday through the end of April 2026, with the exception of no meet the weekend of March 20-22, when the Grays Harbor Mounted Posse Pro Rodeo will be taking place.

2026 WAHSET District Meets
February 12-15, District 2
February 19-22, District 4
February 26-March 1, District 6
March 5-8, District 3
March 12 – 15, District 5, 2 and 1
No meet March 20-22, come to the rodeo instead!
March 26-29, District 5, 1, and 6
April 2-5, District 4
April 9-12, District 3
April 16-19, District 2
April 23-26, District 5 and 6

For a full list of Events, visit the WAHSET website.