Mikhaila Lichtenberger was one of more than 40 young competitors vying for a ribbon in the 4-H Horse Showmanship Classes on a rainy Wednesday afternoon at the Allen County Fair, but her experience earned her one of the fewer, coveted first-place finishes.
“It was a huge surprise for me,” said Lichtenberger, 15, of Spencerville, after nabbing Grand Champion Pony at Halter in class 56.
Lichtenberger, a seven-year 4-H member, has been showing horses for five years and said all the time and money has paid off. To get her ribbon, she walked alongside her pony and led it through the horse arena in front of the judge. She said the judge looked “at the way (horses) move and the way they're structured.”
“It's to see what they (entrants) can do with their horses on the ground,” said Greg Newport, a 4-H leader helping out with the competition.
Kids in grades 3-12 compete in the first-year, junior and senior classes, each with patterns of increasing difficulty designed by the judge, he said. Most patterns include orange cone obstacles and separate commands ranging from walking and trotting to performing different degrees of angles. “These kids will work all year long… They usually do very well at state,” Newport said.
4-H leader Lisa Didion explained the different classes of miniature pony, pony, trail and versatility divisions of showmanship. Kids in English or Western attire try to get the most points to place.
“We hold fundraisers all year long for this. The kids work really hard,” she said.
Though it was raining hard Wednesday, Didion said they only suspend competition for lightning storms. Horse competitions will take place throughout the week, and the best will make it into the 4-H Showman of Showmen contest at noon Saturday.
