Follow Me: The long-awaited NJ State Fair 4-H show!!!

Morgan worked so hard this year in 4-H. They met twice a month, kept detailed project books which tracked how much it cost to keep a horse, they set goals and measured how they progressed. I think the most fun was keeping track of how big the babies at the barn grew during the year... along with the much anticipated birth of a foal which arrived Easter morning. The learned ABOUT horses... breeds, markings, all about things like colic. It was a great year which culminated in the 4-H show at the NJ State fair. Morgan almost had a DISASTER when she fell on Thursday night riding her bike. Please don't ask my WHY she tried riding it into the pool area, but she did and she didn't make it. Toppled right over and hit the fence post where the gate latches and onto some kind of metal which ripped her leg open. I got a call on the way home from work from Mike... "I think she doesn't need stitches".... turned out to be 12 stitches to get her leg back into decent shape. Poor Morgan cried and cried in the ER, and once she got numb she sat up and watched the doctor intently as he stitched away... all the time babbling as only Morgan could do. The number one concern was could she still ride on Sunday... Happily the answer was yes.

We went with the 4-H club on Friday night to the fair for their show-de-o. It's a fun night for the girls to jump hay bales, do a ring toss and play tug o war. Morgan didn't get to fully participate but was happy to be there. Mike and I totally appreciated the exhibitor parking pass - we didn't have to walk a bazillion miles! And we got the best seat in the house from where we parked to watch the fireworks on Friday night.

Saturday was the typical day before a show spent all day at the barn. Arrive at 8:30, lunge Misty. 9:00 lesson until 10. We had to hang for 40 minutes to let a bad storm pass, then we snuck out in the rain to wash Misty. Once she was squeaky clean (it's actually easier to wash a horse than a dog because you don't have to bend over) - it was time to bring her back to the barn and band her mane and clip her muzzle and ears and braid her tail and clean her hooves.... phew. I think we got home at 4pm and left a very pretty Misty in her stall happily munching on hay and sporting a new show blanket.

Morgan did a GREAT job lunging Misty at the show - there are so many distractions while the fair is going on. The horses round the corner in the main ring and have a giant flashing ferris wheel in their face. Misty was fine with that, but spooked at something in the corner of the grandstands. Morgan wasn't sure what it was, but one of the older girls had her horse do the same thing and thought it was the tents flapping in the breeze. I won't even go into the girls who were doing hunter equitation (jumping) and had the demolition derby start up. Sigh. Here are some pix of Morgan from Sunday.

Morgan in her showman ship class. It's very technical - about how you walk and guide your horse around the ring using a lead line. You can't touch your horse!