4-H groups excited to show horses

MOSES LAKE - The afternoon sun warmed up the Grant County Fairgrounds Monday, but Courtney Softich's horse stayed cool under a water hose.

Softich, 14, gave Lillybug a bath the day before the fair opened, applying shampoo to her mane and tail. The horse is being shown through the 89'ers 4-H club.

Youth in 4-H are among the first to house their horses in two new barns at the fairgrounds.

"I actually really like them," said Softich, a 4-H member from Moses Lake. "These (old) ones were really small."

Fair Manager Bill West said each barn holds 56 new stalls, each 12 feet by 12 feet in size. Grant County commissioners are considering adding a third barn, in addition to a covered arena, West said.

The buildings, by Barnmaster, are "state of the art" and very popular, West said.

The fair was glad the company gave the lowest bid for the project, he said.

West anticipated 300 horses would dig their hooves into the fairgrounds through fair week.

"We really appreciate the new barns," said White Tail Riders 4-H Show Manager Susy Anderson, of Ephrata.

Anderson gave an example of her daughter's horse, Jess, who had to tuck his head down to turn in the old barns. Now, the 16-year-old paint horse has space to maneuver.

"It was very uncomfortable for him to be in there the whole week," Anderson said.

Daughter Jaime, 14, said the new barns remind her of the barns at the state competition in Puyallup.

This is Jaime Anderson's fifth year showing horses, always with Jess. She received three grand champion ribbons last year and a reserve grand champion.

"This is my passion … horse showing," she said.

When Jaime Anderson first started working with Jess, she spent two hours daily with him. Now, she rides him two to three times per week.

Before becoming a show horse, Jess was a cow horse.

"We got him because his attitude was really good and he really liked me," Jaime Anderson said.

He spent a week with a trainer and then Jaime Anderson took over.

"I think the neat thing about watching these two is, they've grown up together," Susy Anderson said.

Jaime Anderson's career goal is to show horses professionally and exercise race horses. At the fair, she is competing in performance categories of showmanship, Western equitation, English equitation, bareback, reining, trail and dress.

Softich has been showing horses since she was 5 years old, the past seven years at the Grant County Fair.

"With my other horse, I was doing very good," she said.

The horse was injured due to joint problems. Now, she shows 6-year-old Lillybug. It is Lillybug's second year being shown.

Softich is competing in the gaming events of barrels and poles.

"I like the speed," she said. "I can't stand going slow. I like the adrenaline rush."

This year, Softich's goal is to have "nice, clean runs."

Since Lillybug is a young horse, Softich has to work on the patterns at a slow pace, and then build speed.

The Western equitation competition for 4-H and FFA is at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the 4-H arena, with horse trail classes at 11:30 a.m. at the 4-H arena, reining at 6 p.m. at the warm-up arena and Western games and keyhole at 7 p.m. at the pavilion. Activities continue through Saturday.