WATFORD CITY, N.D. — My daughters recently competed in their first 4-H horse show. And I wonder if there’s anything healthier than watching kids show up at the fairgrounds early and struggle to button their white shirts, pin numbers to their backs, brush and saddle horses and calm their nerves?
In the cold of a late August morning, our little family brought the horses into town. It’s my eight-year-old’s last year as a Cloverbud, so I thought it would be a good time to start a 4-H program I loved as a kid to get us a little familiar with the rules and remind ourselves of them. Because, and I think I’ve said this before, there are a lot of rules.
Jessie Veeder / Contributor
A week before, I took the girls to the large Ag Expo arena for an official practice and let the ranch horses get used to the area, practice walking across the small bridge and tarps, and run around in circles with the other kids and learn from them as well. We prepared to participate in most of the Cloverbud events, such as the walk-trot course, barrel racing, pole bending, egg race, and, my absolute favorite, the costume contest.
Oh, the horse and rider costume contest! Seriously, if they had thought of that when I was eight, I would have dedicated my life to that contest. It would have been my sole purpose in life. And so you can imagine how excited and enthusiastic I was when I told my young daughters about it. We even made a special trip to the craft store to pick out ribbons and tulle and everything you need to turn a fox into a unicorn and a palomino into a blue water horse.
I think my husband would have appreciated if I had transferred some of that enthusiasm to the task of sewing the 4-H patch onto the girls’ white shirts. When I told him I planned to just pin it on (or, you know, there’s glue), the disappointment I felt was so great I could hardly bear it.
Jessie Veeder / Contributor
“Scofields don’t just pin things,” he said, his lips pursed and his expression the kind of scowl you need to thread the world’s smallest needle, which came in the only sewing kit in the house (thank goodness for Christmas presents from mothers-in-law).
So I left him there with his verdict, Rosie’s shirt, and the microneedle. I still had to gather a costume bag and snacks.
And you also have to weed.
As it turned out, we arrived at the horse show a good four hours before the girls’ Cloverbud events. But that’s OK. We ate lunch at 10 and watched the big kids practice rein and riding patterns, we cheered them on and listened to the judge explain bits and hand positions. We warmed up in the empty field, we played in the dirt and made new friends. We were cold and then we were hot and then it was their turn to trot and walk and do the barrel and pole pattern. And, most nerve-racking of all, balance an egg on a spoon while walking around a pole and back. Not one egg fell. It was a miracle.
And they did great. Really. They were smiling and they did everything right. 4-H horsemanship is the opposite of a race, even though it technically is a race. It’s about going at your own pace and learning how to better understand your horse, how to get him to meet a challenge, how to best sit in the saddle and how to best treat your animal.
And then of course sometimes it’s just about tying ribbons in the horses’ hair, dressing up as Elsa and a fairytale princess and being the most adorable little duo there is. Which, if I’m being honest, was probably my favorite part.
Anyway, it was a great day. If you need me, I’m planning a 4-H adult horse show. And my costume. Call me if you want to sign up!
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Greetings from the ranch in western North Dakota and thanks for reading. If you’re interested in more stories and reflections on country life, its characters, heartbreaks, triumphs, absurdities and what it means to live, love and parent in the middle of nowhere, check out more of my Coming Home columns below. As always, I love to hear from you! Contact me at [email protected].
