Obenour Equine Center

08/25/2026

Thank you OceanVisions for capturing this great video of Fireball Bug ridden and trained by Chad Obenour owned by Francesca Smith on their BOTB Slot Race run. Placing 4th overall.

08/23/2026

Congratulations to Chad and Heidi Obenour, Kayler Shaw, Megan Wilson and Izzabella Culley on a great Ohio NPBA Season!!

08/10/2026

Fireball Bug for the win running a 20.6! Congratulations to owner Francesca Smith and trainer Chad Obenour!

07/31/2026

🐴 ONE OPENING AVAILABLE! 🐴

If you’ve been thinking about getting your young horse started or taking your horse’s training to the next level, now is the time.

Obenour Equine Center currently has ONE opening available in Chad Obenour’s training program.

Whether you have:
✔️ A young prospect needing a solid foundation
✔️ A horse ready to begin pattern work
✔️ A seasoned horse that needs fine-tuning

Chad focuses on building confident, responsive, and competitive horses with a foundation that lasts.

🏆 Training accomplishments include:
• AQHA Level 2 World Champion – Junior Pole Bending
• NBHA Pole Champion
• Multiple Futurity Championships
• Ohio NPBA Champion & Reserve Champion
• BBR World Finalist
• Multiple Congress Top 10 Finishes
…and years of experience helping horses and riders reach their goals.

With over 40 years of riding and training experience, Chad believes every horse deserves a program tailored to its individual needs, emphasizing safety, consistency, and long-term success.

📍 Wharton, Ohio

📞 Call or text Chad or Heidi Obenour at (419) 957-1738 to discuss your horse, training goals, rates, and availability.

⚠️ This is our only opening, and once it’s filled, we’ll begin a waiting list.

A full care boarding facility located in Wharton, Ohio. Chad and Heidi Obenour have over 50 yrs of combined equine experience.

07/04/2026

🇺🇸 Happy Fourth of July from Obenour Equine Center! 🇺🇸

Today we celebrate the freedom, faith, and community that make this country so special.

From our family to yours, we wish you a safe, happy, and memorable Independence Day. Whether you’re spending the day with family, friends, or your four-legged partners, we hope it’s filled with laughter, gratitude, and plenty of red, white, and blue!

As you celebrate, remember to keep your horses and pets safe during fireworks by providing a quiet, secure place for them to relax.

❤️🤍💙 Happy Independence Day! ❤️🤍💙

— Obenour Equine Center
Training • Boarding • Lessons

06/26/2026

We congratulate Kayler Shaw on her outstanding performance. Barrel Horse News has released the Equistat 2025 Northeastern Region results, where Kayler ranked 5D9 with OEC RedneckTrninTrix and 5D8 overall rider.

https://barrelhorsenews.com/barrel-racing-articles/statistics/equistat-2025-northeastern-region-leaders/?fbclid=IwVERDUASrR5ZmdHNoBKqwEGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4vnfI2NWOjVjMowWX1f1NtUB-LZSPveGuAW45_Y6oUQ9TxNWYwu397ycDuVg_aem_3G7AjcqGWmJd6bmycHFKLA

Divisional races paid out more than $30 million in purses in 2025. Here are the leading horses and riders of the Northeastern Region per the EquiStat database.

06/24/2026

📣 Exciting News from Obenour Equine Center 📣

We are excited to announce a new partnership between Chad Obenour of Obenour Equine Center and Grant Fatzinger.

As part of this partnership, Grant will be working under Chad's guidance as an Assistant Trainer, combining his passion for horses, strong work ethic, and dedication to continuing his education in the equine industry.

With over 40 years of training, showing, judging, and coaching experience, Chad has built a program focused on developing safe, confident, and competitive equine partners.

Grant brings a strong background of his own, with more than 15 years of experience competing in professional rodeo and performance horse events. He is no stranger to developing horses and performing at a high level, making him a valuable addition to our training program. Through this mentorship, Grant will continue expanding his knowledge while helping provide additional support and opportunities for our clients and their horses.

This partnership represents a shared commitment to:

🐴 Quality horsemanship
🐴 Strong foundations for horse and rider
🐴 Continued learning and growth
🐴 Providing exceptional care and training for every horse that enters our program.

Grant will continue operating Copper Mare Ranch while serving as Assistant Trainer at Obenour Equine Center, allowing both programs to work together while maintaining their individual identities and strengths.

By working together, Chad and Grant will be able to offer additional support, individualized attention, and expanded opportunities for horses in training.

We are excited about the future and look forward to helping more horses and riders achieve their goals.

Please join us in welcoming Grant to the Obenour Equine Center training team and wishing him continued success with Copper Mare Ranch!

04/25/2026

Beautiful day at Copper Mare Ranch. Great turnout for the clinic. Poles today Barrels and show tomorrow. Hope to see you there!

04/21/2026

Had a great weekend at the Panty Raid! Thank you Dawn and Clea for a great show.

Chad and Fireball Bug owned by Francesca Smith
Pole Futurity Average Reserve Champion
First Go 20.8 Second Go 21.2 Average 21.074
BFA 4 yr old Barrel Futurity 2D3 running 16.7

Chad and OEC Redneck Trnin Trix Open 3D Reserve Champion Poles running a 21.8

Megan and Superfames Bunny running great runs in both Poles and Barrels and crushing her goals of running and 16.6 on Redneck Ho**er in Open Barrels.

Alicia Groves had amazing runs on GTS Pure Redneck in Open Poles with a 21.4 and 21.7 in NPBA Futurity.

Mandy Lobdell had a beautiful run on Wager with a 23.3 in Open Poles.

We had great runs and looking forward to this upcoming show season!