Horses, young riders stretch their legs at fair
Horse competitions at this week’s annual Dutchess County Fair are providing young riders affiliated with Clover Stables the opportunity to bring together their love of the animals and skills developed during a year of training.
Trainer Stephanie Jackson has been watching closely as her riders work to maintain composure in the spotlight, follow commands broadcast over a loudspeaker, and keep a firm touch with the horses they’re sitting on.
“This is our main lesson program,” Jackson said. “This is what the girls look forward to every year. They just did their finals for the show series that we compete in, and then they come up here and have a blast.”
Seven to 10 young people from Orange County-based Clover Stables, ranging in age from 4 to 20, participate each day in the fair’s horse competitions. Jackson said the learning curve for each rider is different and comes at varying paces.
“It can be innate and it can be learned,” she said of riding. “It’s just that if it’s not innate, it takes longer. ... But when their legs get the idea and the motion, it clicks, and then it’s there. It’s just getting the muscle control that’s required because you don’t use that anywhere else.”
Jackson said there is a bond between rider and horse that comes from several factors.
“I think it’s the heart and the connection,” she said. “It’s like everybody loves their dogs and dogs you can snuggle with. These you can ride, and they have just the same personalities as dogs. They’ll love you ... and I have horses that even know their owners car and they start calling to them.”
There is also a financial commitment involved with learning to compete — sometimes up to $45 per half hour for private lessons. And “horse shows like this (at the fair) are usually about $200 a day, not including entry fees,” Jackson said.
Besides the competitions, the fair offers other changes of pace for the horses and their riders, Jackson said.
“Our favorite thing is they go watch the concerts on horseback,” Jackson said. “They’ve gotten so used to us. Our horses put their heads over the security guys’ shoulders, and they scratch them, and [the riders] sit and watch the concert bareback.”
••• The fair, at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds on U.S. Route 9 in Rhinebeck, runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily through Sunday. Admission is $15 at the gate, though children 11 and under get in free, and seniors and members of the military pay $8. Ride tickets are four for $5 or 22 for $20. Parking is free. More info: dutchessfair.com.