WILLIAMSPORT, Ind. — About an hour before the horse and pony show at the Warren County (Ind.) 4-H Fair was scheduled to start Tuesday, the rain was pouring down and more than 50 children were scurrying around the stables, getting ready for the competition.

Some were hauling tack or bringing horses in from the trailers outside, others were giving their animals one last face cleaning or tweaking already meticulously braided manes and tails.

“This is the most (participants) we’ve had in a while,” said Linley Johnson, 4-H Horse and Pony Club leader who helped the kids get organized before the show. “We’ve had some horses get hurt, but nothing major. It’s a typical show day for us.”

This year, the participants in the horse and pony show had 75 classes to choose from, ranging from western pleasure and western horsemanship to several halter and gaming classes. As many as 17 participants came from the same stable, Wild About Horses Equestrian Center in West Point.

“I’ve brought participants for the last six years, but this is the biggest group I’ve ever brought,” said Pam Bowen, who runs the facility.

At Wild About Horses, riders have the option to lease a horse from February to June, which includes the opportunity to show it at the fair. Bowen said she took a group of students to watch the show last year, trying to entice them to participate in the fair this year. Her strategy apparently worked, since several of her students participated for the first time and she had to buy five new horses to keep up with the demand.

“(The fair) is a chance for them to show the skills they’ve learned, and it’s an opportunity for them to come out and take care of the horses for three days all on their own, because I’m not allowed to touch them, those are the rules,” Bowen said. “I’m hoping that every kid that shows (at the fair) feels good about themselves and feels the challenge is rewarding, because this is a challenge. This builds self-confidence, and horses help teach kids to be responsible and respectful.”

Laura Himes, 13, of Attica, was one of Bowen’s students showing at the fair for the very first time. “I joined (4-H) to see if it would be fun,” she said, while getting ready to compete with the 10-year-old pony Gracie. “I’ve ridden every day for the last week,” Himes said about preparing for the show.

Of all the contestants in the horse and pony show, 21 are first-year members of 4-H and only one person, Suzanne Cline, 18, of Pine Village, has been a 4-H member for 10 years.

“My family has been in 4-H since before I was born, so it’s kind of a family tradition,” she said, and added “I try to help out the little kids as much as I can.”

Cline, who’s also the president of the horse and pony club, said she’s made a lot of friends through 4-H during the years. “It’s really exciting to come back every year and see how much everybody has improved,” she said as she was directing foot traffic in the stables and answering questions from other participants before the show.

Falling back on her 10 years of experience, Cline seemed calm and collected during the frantic last hour before the show. “I’m pretty carefree, I just think it’s fun to ride horses,” she said.

FAST FACT

The Warren County Fair continues through Saturday at the fairgrounds in Williamsport.