KIDS: HARD WORK PAYS OFF IN HORSE SHOW

GORDONVILLE -- Darren Harris takes horse riding competitions very seriously, so much that he gets up at 5 a.m. every day to round up his horse after a night of grazing.

He doesn't want M.I., or "Classy" as he calls her, to fade in the daytime sun, so Classy grazes at night and stays inside the barn during the day.

"I think you have to have a good relationship with your horse," said Harris, 15, of Gordonville. Harris was one of almost 60 kids who participated in an All-Youth Horse Show Sunday, sponsored by the SEMO Equestrian 4-H Club.

The show was held at the Danny Gilder Arena near Gordonville.

Harris said "Classy" is the first horse he's had that's not a hand-me-down from one of his three older sisters. He got it about two months ago.

Harris participated in Western, English and speed events Sunday, and was confident that "Classy" would make him proud.

He said the secret to winning awards at the horse shows is "my sister's help.

"We spend about four hours before every show, washing her and getting her ready," Harris said. "We get along good so far," he said of the horse. "I give her lots of sugar and feed."

Jennifer Nelson, 11, also competed in the show Sunday with her horse "Bob." While waiting for one of the events to start, she hopped on Bob with her 6-year-old sister, Jordan, and explained some of the secrets of horse show competition.

"You have to hold the reins a little bit tighter on the gaited classes," Jennifer said as she demonstrated her technique. "For the western classes, you hold it a little looser."

Nelson, who lives in Jackson, said she's been riding since she was 5, and she's won her share of trophies and ribbons.

"It's worth it when you win; you feel pretty good," she said. "All that hard work can pay off."

Cheryl Hanschen, coordinator of the show, said the young competitors take their performance very seriously. Most of them have competed before.

"They have worked very hard before they get here," Hanschen said. "They want to win. But they like to see their friends win too."

The kids, dressed in either western or English riding clothes, are judged on various things depending on the type of event they enter. In the equitation classes, the riders are judged on how they sit and hold their hands and how much control they have over the horse.

In the gaited, novice and western pleasure classes, the judge looks at the horse to see how well-behaved it is. "They're looking for a horse that's a pleasure to ride," Hanschen said.

Hanschen said practice makes perfect in the riding game.

"The kids who ride the most, win the most," she said. "Anytime you ride the horse, you're training it."

The SEMO Equestrian 4-H Club sponsors several youth horse shows throughout the spring, summer and fall. The next one will be held in conjunction with the SEMO District Fair on Sept. 12. Another is planned for October at the Jim Goggin Arena.

Hanschen said the horse shows teach kids the fun of competing and the rewards of hard work.

"There is a unique relationship these kids have with their horses," she said. "They're pets, but you're asking them to work for you. So it's almost a working relationship."