Originally, this event began as cavalry military exercises by Taira no Masakado. He was a member of the Soma clan, and members of the Soma clan still take up key roles during the festival. The event is over 1000 years old.

The festival was designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the government in 1978.

The festival nearly stopped running in 2011 after the 2011 tsunami and earthquake, but locals were determined to keep it running. It was ran on a reduced scale that year, but has since been brought back to it's full glory, and is a point of pride for local people as it represents perseverance and a willingness to keep going.

In 2020, the festival was held on a reduced scale due to Coronavirus. The Shinto rituals were conducted and no one was allowed to come watch. The horse riding events were not held at all.

Women used to only be allowed to participate if they were unmarried and under 20 years old. This rule was changed in 2025 to allow all women to participate.

As of 2024, the festival is held in May. It used to be held in July, however due to increased heat in the area, it is now held in May in order to be more safe for people and horses.

The Soma Nomaoi festival is a 3 day festival held in Soma, Minamisoma. This is in Fukushima prefecture.

It is held on the last weekend and following Monday in May. Each day consists of it's own distinct programming.

On Saturday, Shinto rituals take place at the Soma Nakamura Shrine, the Soma Ota Shrine and the Soma Odaka shrine.

Sunday consists of a parade of horses and people displaying banners. The parade continues to an arena, where the Kachu Keiba and shinki-sodatsusen take place. The kachu keiba is a armored horse race. The shinki-sodatsusen is a flag catching competition where flags are sent into the sky and riders aim to catch the flags before they hit the ground. In both these events, people wear full armor.

Monday consists of the nomakake. The nomakake is a ritual at Soma Odaka shrine where a horse is caught and offered to the shrine as a blessing. The horse used to be a wild one, however nowadays they release a horse specifically for the purpose of catching for this ritual, and the horse is then given back to it's owner after the ceremony.