By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The county fair was almost over with, the kids and animals were tired, and the heat index kept rising, but that didn’t put off the Horse Fun Show.
After competing for three days straight – from English to Western to gymkhana and versatility – Friday served as the day when the horse people let loose.
“The main reason we put it on is basically Monday and Tuesday – Monday is their big English day, Tuesday is their big Western day. They work hard for this,” explained Young Riders 4-H advisor Rhonda Cole. “They have contesting on Wednesday and they work hard at that. Then we kind of relax a little bit and on Friday we have the Fun Show and they’re allowed to do whatever they want. There’s no pressure.”
Cole said the kids – and even parents, grandparents, and advisors – do get judged just like any other show, but there was no pressure to compete at a higher level.
The laidback attitude could clearly be seen as the kids wore their Young Riders t-shirts, jeans, and dusty boots while some adults sported tank tops, shorts, and tennis shoes.
Cole joined in on the fun, competing in the Generation Gap class with Carli Fogle. In that class the oldest of the pair of riders showed off their walk-trot skills before completing a simple horsemanship pattern. The younger of the duo would then take a few turns around the arena.
“It was okay,” Cole said with a little chuckle. “(I) was on a horse I never rode before.”
Cole and Fogle were doing fairly well until Fogle’s horse decided he needed to take a bathroom break in the middle of the class and broke from his gate.
“I compete in it because it’s super fun and it gives us a break from the normal routine,” explained Fogle. “We don’t have to get all dressed up; we can just go out there and have fun. Sunny’s the type of horse that anyone can go on him, so it’s just fun to see other people ride him, too.”
Fogle said she placed second with Taylor Miller in the Pairs Pleasure class during the Fun Show. Her results from the fair week turned out pretty good, too. Fogle said she and Sunny placed in the reining classes, which surprised her.
The Fun Show also featured classes such as Pairs, where a pair of horses and riders ride together in all three gaits, and another which required the rider to ride bareback while keeping a piece of paper in place underneath their leg.