Neigh, neigh
By John Joyce
Published in News on October 9, 2015 1:46 PM
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Maggie Lancaster, 1, pets her horse during Thursday night's open class horse show at the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair. The third generation shower is competing in her third show with her mother, Natalia, also pictured, who began showing when she was 8 years old and competed in several events herself.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Sarah Sprouse, 12, of Goldsboro rests her head on her horse Smokey after a long night of competition at the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Abbigail Figgins, 11, shows her 6-year-old Appaloosa horse Emmi during Thursday night's horse show at the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair. The third generation exhibitor placed in several categories.
Some of the cowboys and cowgirls were smaller than the miniature horses they were showing Thursday night at the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair Open Halter Pony, Mule and Draft Horse Show.
Miniature horses are horses less then 34 inches, according to the American Miniature horse registry.
Other youngsters chose to show regular horses during the Open Class, the first of 20 classes shown at the pavilion Thursday night.
Hope and Fred Davis, of Deep Run, brought their grandson Micah, 3, to show their horse, Stella.
"She is 22, believe it or not," Davis said.
Micah took first prize in the open class, as did all the other contestants, many of whom were between 1 and 3 years old.
Matthew Massey said his son Scott, now 3, has been showing since he was 1. This year, Scott showed Fancy, a 7-year-old horse who also placed first in the open class.
But then it was time to get down to business.
Stallion, mare and gelding classes were held for miniature horses and ponies, and reserve and grand champion prizes were then awarded for each.
The same were awarded for mules, jacks and jennies and for draft horses.
All entries were awarded prize packs from Coker Feed Mill of Goldsboro, which sponsored the event along with Bartlett Milling Co., and the first- through third-place winners took home ribbons and trophies.
And one family, with three generations of women showing miniature horses, ponies and horses, took home several of those prizes.
The tradition continues from one generation to the next, the Lancasters, of Nahunta, said.
"And, whenever people would ask how much we spent on horse shows for the kids -- because we were always gone weekends to shows across the whole United States -- we always said, 'Well you know, it's cheaper than a lawyer,'" Maria Lola de Varona said.
Daughters Natalia and Dominique and their children Maggie and Eli each showed animals Thursday night.
For Mrs. de Varona, however, the real prize is seeing the joy she had as a child passed down through the family.
"I've had horses since I was 8, and (Natalia, 33) was riding since before she was born," she said.
Thursday's winners included.
OPEN HALTER PONY, MULE
AND DRAFT HORSE
* Grand Champion -- Amy Parker
* Natalia Lancaster -- Reserve Champion
GELDING MINIATURE HORSE
* Natalia Lancaster -- First place
* Amy Parker -- Second place
* Julia Bentra -- Third place
* Brayden Garris-- Fourth place
MARE MINIATURE HORSE
* Kelsey Hinton -- First place
* Emily Dunn -- Second place
* Amanda Wheaton -- Third place
* Starr Benton -- Fourth place
* Ricky Lane -- Fifth place
STALLION MINIATURE HORSE
* Amy Parker -- First place
* Natalia Lancaster -- Second place
* Amanda Wheaton -- Third place
MULES
* Little Dan Lancaster -- First place/Grand champion
* Amy Parker -- Second place/Reserve champion
* Madison Young -- Third place
* Patty Holland -- Fourth place
* Dane Parker -- Fifth place
JACKS AND JENNIES
* Dan Lancaster -- First place/Grand champion
DRAFT HORSES
* Dan Lancaster -- First place/Grand champion
* Dylan Benton -- Second place/Reserve champion
JUNIOR SHOWMANSHIP
* Sarah Sprouse -- First place
* Blayne Smith -- Second place
* Bryce Smith -- Third place
* Abbigail Figgins -- Fourth place
* Sobbar Allen -- Fifth place
MARE (3 YEARS AND OLDER)
* Abbigail Figgins -- First place
* Frances Figgins -- Second place
* Sucette Joyner -- Third place
* Haley Braggs -- Fourth Place
* Bryce Smith -- Fifth place
GELDINGS (2 YEARS AND YOUNGER)
* Sarah Newsome -- First place
GELDINGS (3 YEARS AND OLDER)
* Carolyn Plummer -- First place
* Gale Moore -- Second place
* Dane Parker -- Third place
* Patty Holland -- Fourth place
ENGLISH HORSE
* Sarah Sprouse -- First place
* Christie Welke -- Second place
* Kate Grady -- Third place
GRAND AND RESERVE CHAMPION
* Carolyn Plummer -- Grand Champion
* Abbigail Figgins -- Reserve Champion