‘We just really want to keep kids in the arena’

MOSES LAKE — For the Grant County Youth Equine Program, the Grant County Fair is just about the busiest time of the year. 

“Most of my kids do all the events,” said Becky Shay, founder and president of the GCYEP. “There’s some that don’t, it just depends on how their horse is feeling and how they are feeling.” 

Sixteen events are held over a five-day span at the fair; there are eight western games, on top of eight performance events held throughout the week. 

“This is our third fair,” Shay said. “We were invited as guests here, like 4-H, (Future Farmers of America) and the Grange. We’re not affiliated with any of those other youth programs, so it’s nice that we get that opportunity.” 

After launching in 2022, GCYEP brought 22 members to the Grant County Fair, with that number jumping to 27 in 2023. This year, 37 children and 48 horses were brought to the fair.  

“We’ve progressively grown, which is amazing,” Shay said. “We have a huge, awesome, great program full of parents and kids, and everybody helps everybody.” 

Many of the youth in the GCYEP also participate in other programs like 4-H and FFA. 

“It’s a really nice working relationship,” Shay said. “I’m an advocate for whatever these kids can do that involves agriculture, livestock or horses. I’m a huge supporter of all of them.” 

There are various experiences, which are put together from feedback from the youth involved in the program, that the GCYEP puts on throughout the summer, Shay said. 

“We did a western games clinic, a performance clinic, we had a hoof healthcare clinic, an emergency vet clinic, which was super cool,” Shay said. “We encourage adults and their kids to be in the arena together to learn.” 

Registration cost for the program is $20 annually.  

“We want to make it affordable,” Shay said. “A horse is already expensive.” 

More importantly, owning a horse is not required to participate. 

“You do not have to have a horse to be a part of our program and learn about horses,” Shay said. “We have quite an amazing group of people, and we have extra horses all the time. We feel like if we can share the passion and joy that we have in the horse world and we can actively help kids who don’t have that opportunity have that opportunity, then that’s what we do.” 

Those interested in joining GCYEP can either reach out on their Facebook page of the same name or reach Shay via email at gcyep1@gmail.com.  

“We just really want to keep kids in the arena,” Shay said. 

    Both keyhole and barrel racing events were held on Friday afternoon, two of the 16 events the Grant County Youth Equine Program hosted this week at the Grant County Fair.
  

    There are numerous classes that youth compete in with the Grant County Youth Equine Program, including senior, junior, intermediate, advanced novice and novice.