The first to enter the riding hall were the most afraid – the youngest participants of the exhibition. Students of the Alexandrova Dacha equestrian sport club introduced the pony cotillion event to the spectators. Guests were asked not to applaud: the horses were too young, it was their debut performance and they can be scared easily.

The next to appear on the arena was the troika of proud white horses in a red harness - Orlov Trotters, first bred in the late 18th century. These horses are unique: trotters move along smoothly and gracefully but can reach a speed of 40 kilometres per hour. Taking part in the grand opening ceremony were: Evgenia Fillippova, Director of Hipposfera International Equestrian Exhibition, Anastasia Stefanskaya, Director of the Hurdle Racing and Equestrian Tournament of the World Cup, and Alexander Vorobyev, President of the Equestrian Sport Federation in St. Petersburg. The trio got into the troika and rode around the arena to celebrate the opening of the exhibition. This was the start of Hipposfera, the 21st International Equestrian Exhibition, with the motto "Horses Bring the World Together."

For all four days of the event the main riding hall featured exhibition shows, individual horse breed exhibitions, daily horse breed parades, costume shows of equestrian clubs, and sport competitions with participation of more than 200 horses of 20 Russian horse breeds: Akhal-Teke, Budennovsk, Vladimir, Don, Orlov Trotters, Terek, Trakene, and others. The best horse (the winner of the Champions Ring) became the absolute champion of Hipposfera. Spectators could choose the most beautiful horse of the exhibition, the best performance of every day, and the best riding master in the daily parade of horse breeds. An open stable was open for those who want to come into closer contact with the horses.