There are several horse shows coming up at the Big E. Watch video
A rider participates in the hunter and jumper horse competition last weekend at the Big E in West Springfield. WEST SPRINGFIELD – Horses have gained some popularity in the press since presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, had a mare named Rafalca participate in the Olympics in London this summer.
While Romney's interest in horses may have attracted some new followers to horse shows and competitions, the annual Eastern States Exposition Horse Show is always a crowd pleaser.
“It’s a long standing tradition at the fair,” said Jim LaHood, manager of the show. “There are top trophies, top money and top competitions here.”
The hunter and jumper competitions happened earlier during the fair, but a horse show will kick off Thursday at the Coliseum featuring Hackney, Morgans, Friesian and Percheron horses.
“We always get a good crowd for the horse shows,” said Carol Keller, coordinator of the show.
There will be about 300 horses competing in three days worth of events.
This year’s horse show will be dedicated to Grace Brooks Knibb, the granddaughter of the Eastern States Exposition’s founder Joshua L. Brooks.
“She was an avid horsewoman and she always came to the shows,” Keller said.
Brooks Knibb was a trustee of the Eastern States Exposition for more than 50 years and she owned, trained and showed horses.
A perpetual trophy with a copper horse designed by California sculptor Douwe Blumberg will be presented in her honor during opening ceremonies today.
“The trophy represents a Hackney cobtail pony which was one of her favorite horses,” Keller said.
While the smaller horses get their fair share of attention it’s the draft horse competitions that get large crowds.
The draft horse shows, which will start Sept. 27, have more than 20 six-horse hitch teams which compete for a $30,000 grand prize.
“The crowds love seeing the draft horses,” Keller said.
LaHood said a big part of the attraction is the tradition.
“You get to see something you don’t see anymore. It’s a look at the past,” LaHood said.
Generations ago draft horses were often used for heavy lifting and according to Pamela Rickenbach, of Blue Star Equiculture, they still need to work.
“These are very large animals that require daily activity and exercise,” said Rickenbach, director of the draft horse sanctuary and organic farm in Palmer.
The volunteer organization cares for draft horses that have been abandoned due to the high cost of maintaining them or some disease or illness.
Blue Star Equiculture has a booth behind the state houses where they encourage people to stop, learn about the group and consider coming out to the farm to meet the animals.
“We have found homes for more than 100 horses in just four years. We retire horses that can no longer work and place them with families that will spoil them and we also put horses back to work,” she said.
Some of the jobs include pulling hayride wagons or pulling equipment on small farms.
For more information on the various horse show schedules visit www.thebige.com.