By Lee Welch

Special to the Sentinel-Tribune

During the 4-H western pole bending and barrel horse running competition Thursday, a contestant’s grandfather said there might be more horses than cattle at the Wood County Fair.

To his point, 69 riders and horses gathered to race against the clock in the pole race.

Pole bending is where a rider and horse race to the other end of the show arena then zig-zag between six poles to get to the end. Then, the horse-rider tandem goes back through the same poles to get the far side of the arena and then sprints back to finish to stop the time.

If they knock over the poles, that will cause a time penalty, so the riders must guide their horse through the poles cleanly to get the fastest time.

Grace Kingery, 19, won grand champion in Pony Poles for riders ages 8-18 with her horse Rockin B Bambie.

Kingery is an Eastwood graduate and attends Wilmington College studying animal science and she is also on the womens soccer team.

Kingery said this was her fondest moment in 4-H working with her horse. She has worked 12 years with the same horse and had not won before.

Kenleigh Norton, 12, won grand champion in Junior Poles for ages 8-18. Norton is an Eastwood student and member of the Rough Riders 4-H club.

One of 11 riders, she rode Diamond, saying her favorite part of being in 4-H fair was the late night rides as a club.

There were even more riders in the barrel races. Racing around the infield of the show arena were 71 mounted riders.

Riders and horse race for the best time around three plastic barrels, which are set in a triangle pattern.

The goal is to get the horse to enter the ring and run to the left or right to go around a barrel and then sprint to the other side and turn around that barrel to race to the far end of the arena.

The tandem runs around the last barrel and sprints back to the start, hopefully without knocking over any barrels, and secure the fastest time back.

Colton Oberhouse, 17, riding his horse Tru with the All Tacked Up 4-H Club, is balancing football practice and taking care of his horse and competing. He says “it takes a huge commitment to both activities but it’s a true test of character.”

Oberhouse says 4-H and sports work hand and hand, but he was far from the only one with a sport at school and an animal at the fair. Others had soccer tryouts in the morning.