SWEETWATER COUNTY – Competition at Wyoming’s Big Show 2016, the Sweetwater County Fair, got a head start on Sunday with the open horse show and then on Monday at the 4-H horse show at the SweetwaterEvents Complex Indoor Arena.

Riders and their horses competed against one another in a selection of different age groups such as 13 and under, 14-18 and adult level, as well as special competitions for the much younger set. Different event categories such as showmanship, reining, freestyle reining, trail riding and almost a dozen other categories kept the competition going on both Sunday and Monday from early morning, all afternoon and into the evening.

“It’s a long day, and tomorrow’s going to be another long day, but it’s all fun,” said Samantha Peppers on Sunday evening. Peppers will be a junior this coming school year at Rock Springs High School. She has been heavily involved in horse riding competitions for many years and

Peppers will be a junior this coming school year at Rock Springs High School. She has been heavily involved in horse riding competitions for many years and she said that she was participating in all of the competition events for her age group. Her 11-year- old horse, “Echo”, also entered into the spirit of the county fair.

“She enjoys competing,” Peppers said of her mount. “In showmanship, she knows the moves. She knows the judge’s voice. When she’s competing and she hears the judge say ‘walk,’ she’s already walking before I do anything.”

Peppers won the freestyle reining competition, an event where riders and their horses dress in costume and work to interpret a musical selection with their moves and dancing around the arena, all to the applause of the spectators. Peppers dressed as King Lemur from the movie “Madagascar”. The training that it takes to be successful at horse show competitions is never-ending.

“It never quits,” Peppers said. “There’s always something new to learn.”

Costuming and dress are not supposed to matter in horse-and- rider competitions, Peppers said. Nevertheless, Peppers worked to do her best with green face paint, wide elf-like ears, and a lemon-like headdress in the freestyle reining event. Earlier, Peppers wore a red-and- black Western outfit with sparkling beads.

“With costumes, it’s always interesting to see what ideas different people come up with,” Peppers said.

No matter how young, many of the competitors at the Open Horse show have been riding horses for years. Proud grandmother Vicki Fannin of Rock Springs said that her granddaughter Ryleigh LaSelle, age 5, first got on a horse when she was six months old.

Ryleigh LaSelle was reserve grand champion in the lead line competition where competitors lead their horses over an obstacle course.

“She rides a couple times a month, maybe three times, more when it gets closer to competition,” Fannin said regarding Ryleigh.

Ryleigh said that her paint horse’s name was Bo, and that she enjoys riding “a lot.”

Mackenzie Camphouse rode her 21-year- old horse, Ryan, in the open rein competition and she said that as far as she knew, it was Ryan’s very first event showing. Ryan may have been in competitions before with a previous owner, Camphouse said, but this was his first time in competition with her handling his reins.

“Ryan gets a little nervous,” Camphouse said. “Sometimes he goes a little faster, sometimes a little slower. He sometimes looks around.”

Prior to her appearance in the arena, Camphouse made a final review of the extensive listing of the circles, swirls, changes in direction and other variegated moves required of each open rein rider. Camphouse will be a sophomore at Rock Springs High School this fall.

To an outside observer, the horse-and- rider moves in the different events may not seem all that complicated, but in reality the different twists and turns can be extremely intricate and a rider must have a well-trained horse underneath her if she is to impress the judges. (With a few exceptions, the rider is usually female.)

In the 14-18 reining competition, one small part of the lengthy instructions for a successful ride reads: “At the top of the circle, run down the middle to the far end of the arena past the end marker and do a right rollback—no hesitation. Run up the middle to the opposite end of the arena past the end marker and do a right rollback—no hesitation.”

Multiply those stipulations by an entire page of instructions and the requirements for each competitor are preliminary to any chance for success, a rider must determine his or her horse’s strengths and weaknesses fully, and take good care of an animal which can weigh more than a half-ton.

Justin Flores, 15, of Green River, was one of a handful of boys competing in the 4-H horse events. Flores said that his horse’s name was “I Bet A Starlight” and was seven years old. Justin’s mom, Dana Flores, estimated Justin’s horse weighed 1,100 pounds, and she said that taking care of a horse teaches great responsibility for a young person.

“Justin has to get up early to feed (his horse). The horse has to be fed twice a day,” Dana Flores added.

Not all horses can do every event. Horses, like their riders, sometimes have preferences for which competitions they enter.

“Different horses definitely have different personalities,” declared Graci Troester, winner of her class on her horse “Tommie” in 4-H first halter quarter horse mares.

Troester finished second in the 4-H halter gelding competition while riding another of her horses, “Charlie”. Tommie is four years old while Charlie is nine. Troester said she has been riding and training both horses since they were two years old.

“Charlie likes running events. He’s not really into showing,” Troester said. “Tommie, she likes showing events. She’s really relaxed.”

Graci’s mom, Racheal Troester, said that taking care of a horse helps a young person to mature.

“Taking care of a horse teaches responsibility to a young person and makes them into responsible adults,” Racheal Troester said.

Graci Troester will be in 10 th grade at Rock Springs High School this fall. She was rodeo princess first attendant at the recent Red Desert Roundup Rodeo. Graci said that she enjoys competing in a variety of different horse show events. She has been a regular at the 4-H horse show for several years.

Kinley Bruderer of Rock Springs rode “Crowns Tiger” in the programmed ride event, where riders dress in fancy English-style riding outfits and negotiate a prescribed course in the arena.

Bruderer said that she was training Crowns Tiger for several different events, but for now, her mount was better at programmed riding. Still, Bruderer said that Crowns Tiger was not a one-event horse.

“I’m going to be riding him in barrel racing just for the points,” Bruderer said.

Various horse events will continue at Wyoming’s Big Show for much of the week. Consult a schedule of events.