Fair kicks into high gear
Payette County event continues today in New Plymouth
By Johna Strickland
Argus Observer
Thursday, August 7, 2008 10:20 AM PDT
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| Sierra Clark (right) gives the 4-H food booth’s counter a scrubbing Wednesday afternoon at the Payette County Fair while her brother Riley Clark, 8, (center) and cousin Nick Wilson, 10, watch fair-goers scale a climbing column. Finding a dried smear of ketchup on a menu, Sierra Clark rubbed it off. ‘It isn’t very nice to get this ketchup-y ’cause this is our schedule to let people known what we have,’ she said. |
New Plymouth — Alexis Reece named her quarter horse Tuffy “‘cause that’s what he is,” she said. “He kicked my dad today really bad.”
Tuffy didn’t notice Reece’s father when he picked up a hoof for blacking before Reece’s bid in the Western Equitation Junior 1 competition Wednesday afternoon at the Payette County Fair. Thus, the kick, Reece, 9, Fruitland, explained.
After the contest, Reece and fellow competitor Makayla Jamison, 10, New Plymouth, retired to the horse barn at the fairgrounds in New Plymouth, 310 East Boulevard.
Their journey to the barns started months before, Jamison, who rode a 16-year-old mare named Sugar, said.
“I practiced every Tuesday and Thursday the whole year pretty much,” she said, adding she would ride from 8 a.m. to about 1 p.m. once school was out and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the other months. She worked on using her feet to turn Sugar and slipping her reins down to stop.
Reece put in just as many hours riding and practicing for the competition which looks at a rider’s position and command of the horse while walking, jogging, trotting and cantering.
Reece said she rode Tuffy from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. after school each day.
“I practiced reining and showing, ground work,” Reece said.
Both Reece and Jamison also have been riding with the Rawhiders 4-H riding group for about two years.
“She’ll take us out for about an hour or two,” Reece said of their 4-H instructor.
Then came the day, Tuesday, to make the move to the fair and finish final preparations.
“We gathered all our tack,” Jamison said, adding she washed the tack, gathered food and covered the floor of Sugar’s fair stall with sawdust.
Tuesday, Reece bathed Tuffy for his turn in the dirt arena with the 10 other contestants.
Reece and Jamison competed in the costumed reining competition later in the day Wednesday. Jamison said she planned to dress Sugar in a bikini and rein to the song “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.” Reece had decided to paint Tuffy like a Native American’s horse and dress herself as Pocahontas.
Reece said she started riding two years ago and enjoys working cows, rounding them up and doing drives.
“I like to ride my horse because it’s really, really fun and I’m still teaching him things,” she said.
Jamison, a rider for three years, takes to horseback for pleasure.
“I like it because it’s just fun, for shows and fun,” Jamison said.
With competitions, judging, food and friends, Jamieson and Reece enjoy the fair and plan to come back next year.
“(I like) hanging out with people, riding, getting ribbons,” Reece said.
Jamison agreed.
“I like to, yeah, hang out, compete,” she said.
