Horse shows highlight opening of Alpena County Fair
News Photo by Julie Riddle At the Alpena County Fairgrounds on Friday, Amelia Heinemann, 10, spends an affectionate moment with Mirage, an Arabian horse she will ride in horse shows at the fair this week.
News Photo by Julie Riddle Bernadette, a saddlebred horse who will compete in the Alpena County Fair, looks up from a back-itching roll at the fairground on Friday evening.
News Photo by Julie Riddle Grace Mercier, left, loads sawdust into a wheelbarrow to bed a horse’s stall at the Alpena County Fairground on Friday.
File Photo
News File Photo At the Alpena County Fairgrounds, Addison Spicer, 13, center, spends time with Caruso, an Arabian horse, during the 2022 Alpena County Fair.
News Photo by Julie Riddle At the Alpena County Fairgrounds on Friday, Amelia Heinemann, 10, spends an affectionate moment with Mirage, an Arabian horse she will ride in horse shows at the fair this week.
News Photo by Julie Riddle Bernadette, a saddlebred horse who will compete in the Alpena County Fair, looks up from a back-itching roll at the fairground on Friday evening.
News Photo by Julie Riddle Grace Mercier, left, loads sawdust into a wheelbarrow to bed a horse’s stall at the Alpena County Fairground on Friday.
File Photo
News File Photo At the Alpena County Fairgrounds, Addison Spicer, 13, center, spends time with Caruso, an Arabian horse, during the 2022 Alpena County Fair.
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ALPENA -- Horse lovers will get a special treat at the Alpena County Fair today.
Horse shows are held at the fairgrounds throughout the summer, but this year marks the first time in recent years that the shows have corresponded with the county fair.
Riders in classy riding gear will show off their horses' paces -- and their own hard work -- at Horses on the Rise 4H shows throughout the day today and on Sunday morning.
Young riders from MKM Equine Synergy Services in Posen moved their mounts into the fairground horse barn on Friday evening.
Working with horses teaches young people work ethic, commitment, and endurance, said Michelle Mercier, a volunteer and parent of a rider.
She and her daughter, Grace, calm skittish rescue horse Bernadette by performing breathing exercises and making themselves relax before working with the horse, who, like other horses, mirrors back human emotion.
"They don't speak to us in English," Mercier said. "They speak to us in energy."
With several previous shows under her belt, 13-year-old Addison Spicer said performing in front of a fair crowd doesn't make her nervous.
Life around horses takes a lot of work, she said.
"But it's worth it," Spicer said. "Especially at the end of the day, if you've had a good ride. Your horse is happy."
Horses on the Rise shows begin at 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693 or jriddle@thealpenanews.com. Follow her on Twitter @jriddleX.