Horse and pony show

The Graves have hosted the event for the past five years. Marilyn is also a judge who has been involved with horses for more than 40 years.

The club intends for the show to be a spectator event and Kathy Clippinger, president of the Northern Lights Saddle Club, said she was pleased at how many showed up just to watch as well as compete.

Clippinger said the nonprofit show was designed to bring out the horse riding community. “It was a wonderful day,” she added.

Riders and horses that placed first or second in any class were automatically qualified to attend the WSCA championship show at the St. Paul Fairgrounds in September 2009.

WSCA judge Robert Purdy came from Mondovi, Wis. to attend the event for the fifth consecutive year. Purdy judged around 34 events from 10 a.m. to after 5 p.m. “We enjoy the people,” he added.

Purdy said that he became a judge following a lifetime appreciation and connection with horses. He submitted an application to be a judge after encouragement from others about his knowledge of competition standards, integrity and fairness. It required rigorous training and evaluation but was worth it, he added.

He said the Midwest has some of the best champion horses in the country.

In the open halter competition, horses are judged for over all conformation, condition and appearance. The rider walks with the horse. Jacob Ettestad won the weanling halter event with his paint, followed by Rodney Marble.

Wendy Johnson’s two year old Appaloosa, Izze, won the longe line class. In this class the horse in on a long rein and encouraged to move in a circle around its trainer. She also won the 2-3 year old halter event, followed by Heather Manski.

Rhonda Clark and her eight year old quarter horse gelding won the four and older halter event followed by Ron Sutherland.

Clark has raised horses for more than 40 years at her Hibbing area ranch. She has about 18 horses and boards for others as well. She wanted to show her horses as many Borderland residents support her competitions.

“This is a beautiful event,” she said.

The showmanship competition is about presentation and how the rider walks with the horse.

Charlotte Marble won the novice showmanship. Megan Claybundy came in second.

The other showmanship awards were divided by age groups of the exhibitors.

Kayla Towner, 6, daughter of Lisa Towner of Gheen, placed in four events riding C.J., a 14 year old quarter horse. She has been riding since age two.

Donovan Taylor of Fort Frances and his paint horse, Chicago, won in the 13 and under category. Kayla Cassibo of the Falls came in second. Kristin Eklin won the 14 to 17 class. Ron Sutherland of Ray won in the 35 and over.

Donovan Taylor and his mother, Dawn Taylor, also won the free style showmanship class, a crowd pleasing event where the exhibitors dress up along with the horses to perform a routine to music, using movement and techniques for scoring.

Their routine went along to the Charlie Daniels song, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”, with Dawn dressed in red with a tail, and Donovan as the country boy fiddle player who noted that he broke his bow during the performance.

Jacob Ettestad came in second in his jockey routine.

The English pleasure competition was open to all rider age groups as a novice category. The rider is mounted on an English saddle and in the familiar tan riding breeches, white blouses, blue overcoats and hat.

English pleasure judges the gait of the horse’s walk, trot, and canter. The score is based on the horse’s rhythm and stride. Judges look for obedience and natural conformation, where the rider has less need to encourage the horse.

Jo Lynn Cooper of Roseau won in the novice English pleasure open category. Wendy Johnson took second. Kristin Eklin won in the 17 and under, with Kayla Cassibo taking second. Jo Lynn Cooper won the 18 and over, with Wendy Johnson taking second.

English Equitation is judging a horses mount and seat, looking for balance and distribution. The shape plays a role in rider posture and the mounting and dismount.

Kristin Eklin won the 17 and under English equitation event. Wendy Johnson won the 18 and over.

Eklin, of Grand Rapids was present with her parents, Gene and Pat. She and her five year old quarter horse, Hot Sizzlin’ Chance, will compete this September at the prestigious Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio.

The western pleasure competition is also about the horse movement and the rider’s ability to control it without difficulty through a series of turns and strides. They changed into the familiar American open faced tack and riders wear the traditional clothing of hat, jeans and boots.

Mary Casanova of Ranier is an author of children’s books, and in “Stealing Thunder” she writes about a young girl and her horse. This was her first competition, however, and said she didn’t have any grand expectations, and just wanted to try her best with J.J., a 12-year old morgan and quarter horse cross.

She was surprised to place first in the novice western pleasure open class, where the test is on the horses temperament, stride and disposition, all the attributes of an intelligent, well trained horse.

Just as with the English pleasure, the western events judges the horse and rider on the walk, trot, lope, canter, stops and backups in a different saddle.

Isabella Ettestad, 9, rode her 10 year old horse, Chicklet, to win the novice western pleasure open. She was present with three generations of horse owners in the family. Her brother Jacob also placed in two categories.

The open trail class was the only indoor competition where the mounted rider and horse go through a set of obstacles, from a gate to a bridge and some cones, to demonstrate its ability to make small controlled maneuvers.

The winner, surprising to some, was Kelly Krueger, a Baudette resident and member of the Minnesota Mule and Donkey Club. She brought Penny, the Minnesota State Champion high point mule, to compete in the only category open to mules.

Training a mule requires a little more effort than a horse, she said. They can be stubborn and need a little coaxing, and tend to bray a lot. But Krueger added that they also perform better in heat and can go longer without water.

“They work a little differently than horses,” she said.

Megan Claybody, Falls, came back from her first week of school at the University of Minnesota-Crookston where she is studying equine science. She enjoys jumping and obstacle events and wants to be a trainer on the east coast.

Claybody competed in the novice program and placed second.

“It was very hot today, too hot for my horse,” she said.

There are three WSCA affiliates in Koochiching County. The Falls has the Rainy River Riders Saddle Club. Ray has the Northern Lights Saddle Club, and Littlefork has the Little Fork Saddle Club.

The Western Saddle Clubs Association is a 53-year old organization with saddle clubs member groups around the state and the Midwest, with 17,000 memberships in 250 saddle groups.