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Fairgrounds hosts horse show
CANFIELD — Competitors in sparkly blue, red, purple, brown and black costumes led horses through their paces, both in the ring and in the areas surrounding it.
Riders came from as far away as Indiana to compete in the Northern Ohio Quarter Horse Association shows Saturday and today.
High-point riders of Saturday’s novice show received saddles.
“People come from kind of a long way to try for those saddles,” said Chris Cecil-Darnell, show secretary and NOQHA treasurer.
Hailee Pavisich, 16, traveled from Painesville to compete in the novice show. She entered showmanship, hunter under saddle and equitation classes, riding her horse Ella. Judges look for complete precision in the showmanship class, said her trainer, Valerie Gabor.
“Everything has to be swift and quick, and it should almost look like a dance,” Gabor said. “Like a very fluid movement.”
In hunter under saddle, judges look for long lengthy strides, she noted. Equitation is riding, and they look for precision.
“Straight lines have to be exactly straight. Circles have to be exactly rounded and even,” she said. They also take note of the rider’s form.
In the All American Youth Horse Show in Columbus two weeks ago, Hailee, who has been riding for eight years, placed in all three classes she entered.
“As far as children go,” Gabor said, “it’s a wonderful influence. It’s a wonderful responsibility to give them this animal and have them take care of it.”
Kayley Gimbel, 8, has been riding for three years. Wearing a big, white cowboy hat and riding her horse Tina, Kayley competed in showmanship and equitation Saturday.
“I like it because you get to be up high and you get to see everything,” Kayley says of riding.
The family, from Galion, travels throughout Ohio for Kayley’s riding, her mom, Angie Gimbel, said.
“She loves it. I just like to see her happy,” Gimbel said of her daughter. “We’re just getting started. We can see her going for a long time.”
Though she practices a lot, Kayley said it’s not hard, just fun. Her horse, though, wanted it to be known that she was hungry, Kayley noted.
The purpose of the NOQHA is to promote the American Quarter Horse, Cecil-Darnell said. The 40-year-old organization has four sets of shows a year. Though an independent organization, NOQHA sponsors American Quarter Horse Shows.
The NOQHA Introductory & Open show continues from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at Canfield Fairgrounds. Riders will compete in 59 classes. Several classes offer prizes of $500. Categories include:
Showmanship.
Equitation.
Hunter under saddle.
Horsemanship.
Western pleasure.
Source: Northern Ohio Quarter Horse Association