ABSTRAK Pacuan kuda merupakan acara budaya Tradisional di tanah Gayo, Kabupaten Aceh Tengah, pacuan kuda merupakan moment hiburan yang diadakan dua kali dalam setahun yaitu memperingati HUT RI Indonesia dan HUT Kota Takengon. Beriringnya waktu pacuan kuda bukan lagi murni digunakan sebagai acara hiburan bagi masyarakat di Gayo, timbulnya nilai-nilai lain yakni politik yang mulai mendominasi pada setiap penyelenggaraan moment besar seperti pacuan kuda ini. Memanfaatkan keramain pengunjung oleh elit politik sebagai tempat untuk melakukan pencitraan politik terhadap masyarakat Gayo, Kabupaten Aceh Tengah dengan tujuan untuk memperoleh suara menjelang Pilkada 2017. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pacuan kuda digunakan sebagai panggung pencitraan politik dan pengaruh pacuan kuda sebagai penggung pencitraan politik terhadap masyarakat Aceh Tengah. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan yaitu penelitian lapangan dan penelitian kepustakaan. Penelitian lapangan dilakukan untuk memperoleh data primer yang dilakukan dengan wawancara dan observasi partisipan. Sedangkan penelitian kepustakaan untuk memperoleh data sekunder berdasarkan buku-buku dan bacaan terkait. Hasil penelitian pacuan kuda digunakan sebagai panggung pencitraan politik terhadap masyarakat Aceh Tengah, yaitu pacuan kuda digunakan sebagai moment promosi dan personal branding. Pengaruh pacuan kuda sebagai panggung pencitraan politik terhadap masyarakat Aceh Tengah, yaitu Panggung Perkenalan Para Calon Politisi, Pembentukan Image Elektabilitas Para Kandidat Kata kunci : Pacuan Kuda, Pencitraan Politik, Keberhasilan. v ABSTRACT Horse race is a traditional cultural event of Gayo Land, Central Aceh. However, as time passes this event is no longer purely used as an entertainment event for Gayo people, but it begins to emerge other values such as politics which dominate every major event including the horse race. Crowded by visitors, the horse race was utilized as a place to conduct political branding toward Gayo community with a specific purpose and interests. This study purposed to determine why the horse race was used as political branding stage and how the influence of the horse race as political branding stage toward Central Aceh people. The data collection techniques used was field research and library research. Field research was conducted to obtain primary data carried out by interview and participant observation. While library research was to obtain secondary data based on books and related reading. The results of this study indicated two things. First, the reasons why the horse race used as political branding stage toward Central Aceh people were the horse race was used as promotion and personal branding moment. Second, how the horse race used as political branding stage influenced the people of Central Aceh were known to the public, the emergence of perception, known by the society and elect, known by the society and not elect, and the success of political branding by political figures toward Central Aceh people. It is expected that the political figures to not use the cultural moment as political media since the horse race is not a place to campaign or conduct political branding toward the society. In addition, the society could understand more about politics, not only limited to know, but also clearly comprehend the vision and mission submitted. Keywords: Horse race, political branding, success. vi