By Ronda Wertman
Tribune Correspondent
FORT ASHBY – The Mineral County Fair Horse Show has come a long way and its participants are showing that the new facilities at the Mineral County Fairgrounds are paying off.
This year, 12 young women from the Pony Express 4-H Club took to the ring in competition in 22 classes. Eight of the classes involved grooming, showmanship and halter work, while the remaining classes were riding events.
Entries are divided into junior and senior 4-H, horses and ponies and gaited horses.
The show is open to Mineral County 4-H and FFA members who have a current horse project.
Joyce Heinz noted that of the local participants, many will make the journey to Lewisburg in August for the annual West Virginia State Fair.
The handlers practice with their horses all year long. This is the second year that they have been able to showcase their talents in the horse arena.
Heinz said that prior to the construction of the arena, members tried to show one year on the race track on the fairgrounds, but that trying to show the day after the demolition derby proved dangerous with lingering metal and glass on the track.
Another year, she said the horse trailers were arranged in a circle in the grass parking field and used along with rope to form a makeshift arena.
“We are truly blessed to have this arena,” she said of the hard work and efforts of the many people who made it possible.
The top competitors in this year's show will take home a bucket of grooming supplies provided by local businesses and individuals.
Sponsoring buckets are Burgess Farm Service, Stacy Hamric, Pony Express 4-H Club, Tractor Supply, Millers Walnut Grove Farm and Carol Webb.
This year’s show featured a combination of new and veteran horses.
Kaelin Collage of Short Gap has worked with 20-year-old Koda for the past five years.
A veteran, Koda still has many show opportunities ahead with the average horse living to be 30 to 35.
Collage and her family spent a great deal of time with their horses, riding daily and often for hours on end.
For 2-year-old Batman, this was his first show.
Working to prepare Batman for the fair, Jade Wharton said, “It’s a lot of work. This is his first year being rode. There are a lot of new experiences and new environments.”
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By Ronda Wertman
Tribune Correspondent
FORT ASHBY – The Mineral County Fair Horse Show has come a long way and its participants are showing that the new facilities at the Mineral County Fairgrounds are paying off.
This year, 12 young women from the Pony Express 4-H Club took to the ring in competition in 22 classes. Eight of the classes involved grooming, showmanship and halter work, while the remaining classes were riding events.
Entries are divided into junior and senior 4-H, horses and ponies and gaited horses.
The show is open to Mineral County 4-H and FFA members who have a current horse project.
Joyce Heinz noted that of the local participants, many will make the journey to Lewisburg in August for the annual West Virginia State Fair.
The handlers practice with their horses all year long. This is the second year that they have been able to showcase their talents in the horse arena.
Heinz said that prior to the construction of the arena, members tried to show one year on the race track on the fairgrounds, but that trying to show the day after the demolition derby proved dangerous with lingering metal and glass on the track.
Another year, she said the horse trailers were arranged in a circle in the grass parking field and used along with rope to form a makeshift arena.
“We are truly blessed to have this arena,” she said of the hard work and efforts of the many people who made it possible.
The top competitors in this year's show will take home a bucket of grooming supplies provided by local businesses and individuals.
Sponsoring buckets are Burgess Farm Service, Stacy Hamric, Pony Express 4-H Club, Tractor Supply, Millers Walnut Grove Farm and Carol Webb.
This year’s show featured a combination of new and veteran horses.
Kaelin Collage of Short Gap has worked with 20-year-old Koda for the past five years.
A veteran, Koda still has many show opportunities ahead with the average horse living to be 30 to 35.
Collage and her family spent a great deal of time with their horses, riding daily and often for hours on end.
For 2-year-old Batman, this was his first show.
Working to prepare Batman for the fair, Jade Wharton said, “It’s a lot of work. This is his first year being rode. There are a lot of new experiences and new environments.”
