HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-09-05, Page 22Page 22 The Huron Expositor • September 5, 2007
News
Miniature horse show returns to Seaforth fall fair
Aaron J a c k l i n
Miniature horses are more like pets
than livestock.
Gene Baynham, of Nixon's Hill Farms
on the edge of Seaforth, says the animals
are small enough to be handled, which
makes all the difference.
"They're a dream to be around," she
says, noting that ponies - which are not
miniature horses - can sometimes bite.
"People who have miniatures usually
handle them a lot," she says. `They're
like a pet. They don't kick or bite or any-
thing like that."
She compares it to the way dogs are
raised.
"You know when you have a puppy,
you're always playing with it so it's not
going to be biting you or being nasty, nor-
mally," she says.
People who have miniature horses
handle them right from the time they're
born so the animals imprint on them.
"As soon as the babies are born, you've
got your hands on them, rubbing them
all over, letting them know that you're
not someone who's going to hurt them."
This month's fair in Seaforth will have
a miniature horse show for the second
year in a row, according to Baynham.
She and her husband help run it.
"The show in Seaforth is going to be an
open show," she says, "but it's going to be
for 'A horses."
A -size horses all have to be 34 inches
_ or shorter at the withers, or the last
hairs of the mane which are farthest
from the head.
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Maxwell Bickford photo
Gene Baynham of Nixon's Hill Farms will again be involved in organizing the miniature horse show at the Seaforth fair.
`They have halter classes and costume
classes where they dress the horses and
themselves, obstacle jumping and cart-
ing," she says. `There'll be 20 classes."
The set up will be the same as last
year and, like last year, the horses won't
be the only ones judged.
"There's youth showmanship and
adult showmanship classes," says
Baynham, explaining that in these class-
es the handlers are judged on how they
show the horses.
"It's kind of a long show," she says, not-
ing that last year's show started at 1
p.m. and went until 6:30 p.m.
Baynham and her husband Jim were
involved in organizing the miniature
show last year.
`There were about 20 competitors last
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year and around 60 horses, I believe,"
says Gene.
This year they expect entries to come
from Meaford, Sarnia, Caledonia,
Brantford, Clinton and the surrounding
area.
"It is an open show," she says, "so as
long their horses are 34 and under, they
can come in. We don't ask to see their
papers or who they're registered with or
anything."
Gene says that includes horses that
aren't registered.
The Baynhams have had miniature
horses themselves since 1991.
"We just had the horses for our own
pleasure. We'd buy and sell them. Now
we've started to show them a little bit"
She says that when Butch Elliott in
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Please join us in an
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Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007
rpm to 5Pm at Clinton Legion Hall
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Clinton, who organizes the shows there,
asked for help three or four years ago,
they got involved.
Gene says the miniatures are getting
quite popular, especially with "older
folks" who like horses.
"You get to a stage where they're (the
full-size horses) hard to handle, or kind
of dangerous," she said. 'The little horses
are easy to work with."
Baynham notes there are a lot of
young people involved with the minia-
tures too.
"We're hoping to see if there's enough
interest in the area to have a 4-H Club
for miniature horses," she says, noting
they need to have six or seven people
interested before you can get one going.
"I think it would be really good if we
could get one around here," she says.
She has said she'd help get it going if
people are interested.
stag
doe,
Starlet Wick Er Chris Benson
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Bpm - lam - Age of Majority
Mount Forest Community Centre
• Tickets for bus roundtrip & dance $15
• Pick up at Seaforth Arena 8:30pin
• Tickets $8 In advance
• OJ, Door Prizes, light lunch provided
Contad: Dylan Wick 519-522-0672
Shannon Caid r 519-584-7087