LEBANON, Ohio — The first Sunday in March just may be the busiest time in the life of Catherine Estill, president of the Warren County Chapter of the Ohio Horseman’s Council (OCH).

For five hours on this day, Estill can be spotted in the perch of her announcer’s booth at the Great Tack Exchange at the Warren County Fairgrounds in Lebanon. When the gates open at 11 a.m. for this event, she is busy informing visitors about the coveted items up for sale or trade.

Hundreds of visitors fill 28,000 square-foot Exhibit Hall E and hundreds more flock to two outside arenas hoping for a bargain in horse tack.

“The Tack Exchange is held every March, and even though the weather is oftentimes still brisk it’s a good time for people to get prepared to get their horses out of the stalls and onto the trails,” Estill said.

“With this type of event horse enthusiasts can take at look at their equipment, or tack, and see what they need to purchase, trade or replace. They’re getting ready for the ‘horse season’ and the Great Tack Exchange is where they oftentimes start.”

The exchange is in its 28th season, and this year the event attracted horse enthusiasts from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia and Michigan. More than 6,000 attended the event this year.

“The Great Tack Exchange works really well because people are actually trading equipment with other people who are just getting into horses,” Estill said. “With today’s economy people don’t want to head to the nearest tack shop and pay top-dollar. The secondhand gear that you find here is most always in great shape.”

The Great Tack Exchange started 26 years ago when founder Scarlett Rowland and three of her friends wanted to get Warren County horse folk together during the cold winter months. At the onset there were just 10 tables and 10 members of the Ohio Horseman’s Council involved.

And, no better place for the Great Tack Exchange, as Warren County alone is home to 6,000 horses. Ohio ranks fourth in horses, behind only California, Oklahoma and Texas.

“Southwest Ohio and, in particular, Warren County is a hotbed for horses,” Estill explained.

The attraction to this event varies from person to person. Mike Bevenger of Maysville, Ky., obtained his horse and trailer from an owner who just couldn’t pay for the upkeep of the horses. He met the man and his horse in the parking lot at the start of the Great Tack Exchange, paying $1,200 for the Standardbred and trailer.

“Just as some homes get foreclosed upon, some people have to give up their horses,” said Bevenger, who was in search of a 4-H horse for his granddaughter. “Fortunately, there are people out there like me who are in the market for such an animal and supplies. Many people can’t afford the upkeep of their horse and oftentimes when they release their animal, the tack goes along with it. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

Jared Taylor of Goshen, Ohio, attended this year’s Great Tack Exchange, looking for a saddle for his daughter’s horse. Taylor purchased one for $500 – and considered that a bargain.

“Saddles, especially new ones, can cost up to $2,000 nowadays,” he said, “but you can obtain one in just about any price range. Swapping tack is what a lot of people do. As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

Dave Hart of Clarksville, Ohio, and Melissa Brewer of Troy, Mich., swapped gear in the parking lot, though this negotiation took about an hour to complete. Hart traded two horse blankets, a 10 year-old saddle and a huge carton of saddle soap for Brewer’s wooden sulky and a set of four sulky bike wheels.

“Since the downturn of the economy in 2008, we’ve seen more and more people flocking to this event,” Estill said. “Even the price of tack rises each year, but the Great Tack Exchange provides a place to find a bargain on almost anything horse-related. If nothing else, horsemen can congregate and share thoughts and ideas.”