Feeding, watering, cleaning the stall, grooming, riding, tidying up … the chores required to be a horse owner, done day in and day out, never end.
But for Amelia Baker (left) and Allie Anderson (right), all the effort is worth it. On Friday, the seventh graders, members of the Cleveland Pioneers 4-H Club, had fun participating in the 4-H horse show at the Le Sueur County Fair.
Baker started horse riding seven years ago while Anderson has owned a horse for two years. They both house their quarter horses in sheds on their home property.
“I got into horses because of Amelia,” said Anderson. “I like going fast, I guess.”
Besides competing in the walk/trot portion of the 4-H horse show, where the horse and rider demonstrate their form, they faced off in field events, really a rodeo.
First, they had to balance an egg on a spoon while increasing their horse’s speed around the show arena, first a walk, then a trot. The last rider to keep his or her egg on the spoon wins.
From there, it was pole weaving, where riders twist their horse through a line of poles and then turn around and ride back through. The fastest time wins, but knock over a pole, and three seconds are tacked on.
Next was the key race, where horse and rider run through a tunnel of poles, do a 180 and race back through. The fastest time wins. Again, a three second penalty is applied for knocking down a pole.
Next was the barrels, where the rider guides the horse around three barrels spaced as a triangle with the fastest time winning. Finally, there was jumping figure eight, where horse and rider weave through a line of three barrels and make a jump of about a foot high just before the finish line.
While Baker and Anderson did not win any of the competitions, they had fun participating. They take part in similar competitions throughout the spring and summer.
Hazel O’Keefe, who will be a seventh grader at CHS but is in the Helping Hands 4-H Club, also participated in the horse show.
Other Cleveland Pioneers 4-Hrs showed animals. The beef show was the most popular. Showing their cattle on Thursday were freshman Jack Anderson, sophomore Taylor Wolf, junior Samantha Baker and sisters Julia Flowers, a third grader, Natalie Flowers, a seventh grader and Katilyn Flowers, a sophomore. Natalie Flowers was the reserve champion in intermediate showmanship.
Amelia Baker also showed rabbits, and third grader Layla Ponwith and her brother Rhett Ponwith brought chickens.
Sophomore Marshall Heldberg and his sixth-grade sister Jacquelyn Heldberg participated in the sheep show on Friday. Marshall was reserve champion in the lamb lead, where participants wear a wool outfit as they lead their sheep around the showring. He also took home the reserve championship award in senior showmanship. Jacquelyn was grand champion in both beginner lamb lead and beginner showmanship. The siblings also brought static projects to be judged at the fair, including photographs and scientific research projects.
In the swine show ring on Saturday morning were Samantha Baker and the Flowers trio. Natalie Flowers was the intermediate showmanship reserve champion.
With other static projects were the Ponwith siblings, Julia and Natalie Flowers, seventh grader Addison Sandhurst, fifth grader Kenzie Sandhurst and first grader Jordan Wolf.
Addison will be making a trip to the state fair for a novelette she wrote. Her project on studying natural dyes also earned her a grand champion award. She also brought a flower grouping and a photo portrait.
Kenzie was reserve champion for her study of snapping turtles. She is too young to compete at the state level. She also brought a fine arts project, two photos and a Lego project.
Layla Ponwith showed several art projects, a report on how she raises chickens and a sewing project. Brother Rhett brought a fine arts project and a folky birdhouse. Jordan Wolf also brought a birdhouse.
On Sunday morning, members of the Cleveland Pioneers hosted breakfast in the fair’s 4-H building before wrapping up the fair later that day.
