Monday at the Fair

I have to admit, that Halter/Showmanship classes have never been "My Thing" But it's something that is at every show, and is mandatory in a 4-H project to Complete your Project. So, I"m relatively used to it..... and I do LOVE the outfits that show each kid's unique originality.

These following photos have one thing as a common factor. Check out the smiles on these kids' faces! Showmanship classes are first thing in the morning, so these kids are just starting out their day, all bright and shiny. Gotta love that. Photo below, is one of a daughter of a good friend of mine. She and I used to show together lots during the summer, and while I miss that, I love seeing her daughter and my grand daughter participating in something that drew us together. And I have to note that the belt buckle she is wearing, is one that her Mom won, when we competed at the Fair Team Sorting several years ago, and got 1st place! That's tying it all together quite nicely

Talk about Originality!

This is a younger sibling of one of the members. She is not yet old enough to be in horse 4-H (must be 9 I believe) But I can bet you'll see her soon! For now, she is cheering on her older sister

Let the Western Riding Classes begin!

Photo below is pretty cool, in that there is Jilly on a horse that she's been working on, with her Grandpa to support her. Kylie is now a Masters Degree owning/earning college educated young woman who used to be in my 4-H Club. She herself was a very competitive 4-H Member and brought home tons of awards of her own. She has even shown horses for us a few times during her summer breaks between college years. What's heart warming to me, is that she keeps coming back and riding with us, and volunteering to help others, no matter how hot it is, or that it's a lot of work. THAT is part of the Legacy of 4-H. I see it time and time again.

Jilly doing her Reining pattern

After completing your reining pattern, you are to present your horse and yourself to the judge for any critique and questions. This in itself is a huge learning process.

Freestyle reining pattern.

There was only 2 teams that did these "Freestyle Drills" I'd sure love to see more. These kids did a great job with their creativity!