Junior fair wraps up with horse show

Laura Bintz, 11, waits with Flash for the start of their showmanship class at the horse showcase on Oct. 10 at the Coshocton County Fairgrounds. She placed third in her class. (Jen Jones)

The junior fair horse show pulled a crowd to the fairgrounds on Oct. 10 as area youth showcased their showmanship and riding skills.

Laura Bintz, 11, is a member of This-N-That 4-H Club and was showing her horse for the first time. “I’m not nervous,” she said. “We’ve always had horses at the farm and I always wanted to show. I’m more excited about contesting, though.” Contesting is an event with more speed and Bintz likes that. “I like going fast more than the showy stuff.”

She and her horse, Flash, have been together for a long time. “I practice a lot. The hardest thing during showmanship is making sure my horse is lined up correctly and the pivot.” Each showmanship class has a different pattern they need to lead their horse through and they turn their horses at different points of the pattern.  Bintz and Flash finished third in their showmanship class.

Ty Woodward was also showing his horses for the first time. The 10-year-old competed in showmanship with his horses, Skippy and Tucker. “I fell in love with Skippy when I was 3. I’m a little nervous. The trail class is the hardest. You have to go across a bridge and over sticks and the horse has to side – walk and lots of other things.”

Woodward was also competing in the driving class. He was going to hook Tucker up to a cart and drive around the ring. “The announcer tells me what to do, like trot or whatever. I like doing that.  I practice a lot with Tucker.”

Brianna Karr, 14, was showing for the second year. “I’ve always had horses and been riding for a long time. I just decided to show. It’s not really hard. I’m doing showmanship and riding classes, both.”

She explained that for showmanship classes, the youth have to lead their horse in patterns. “We don’t know the pattern until right before our class. We have to trot, and the horse has to be square when we stop. It takes lots of practice. When the horse doesn’t do what it’s supposed to, I just try to get it too. Sometimes we have to try and try.”

For the riding classes, she said she rides around the ring, walking and trotting, then they have to line up and listen to the judge. “I’m a little nervous. Shieanne, my horse, doesn’t like to stand still. I’ve worked with her a lot, so we’ll see if she does better.”

“Showing is fun.  I like doing it – just going out in the ring and having fun is the best part of showing.”

Category: People & Places