Quarter horse show draws all ages Riders from 6 to 65 take part in Skowhegan’s cowboy-style event

SKOWHEGAN – Compared to the atmosphere of the dressage horse show held two weeks ago in the same arena, the Skowhegan Fairgrounds was alive this weekend with noise, activity and laughter for the Firecracker Quarter Horse Show.

The more formal, elegant dressage shows demand quiet and dignity during their proceedings. But the quarter horse breed is America’s workhorse, said organizers, and therefore it brings out the cowboys and cowgirls.

The jingle of spurs, the clicks of tongues directing the horses, clomping hooves and the loudspeaker announcing entries and events made for an upbeat weekend of competition. Colorful sequined and embroidered jackets, tooled leather chaps, Mexican silver inlaid bridles, bright saddle blankets, and cowboy hats and boots made the event a feast for the eyes as well.

Even the horse stalls glittered brightly with the red, blue, white and pink ribbons won in competitions and hung on the outside gates.

Show manager R. Gaetan Larouche of Drummondville, Quebec, said nearly 200 horses from Canada and New England were entered in the show, which is one of three held each summer at Skowhegan under the auspices of the American and Maine quarter horse associations.

“The quarter horse is the world’s most popular breed,” said Larouche. “No other breed even comes close. It is the American breed, the cowboy breed.” Larouche said 1,000 shows are held nationally each year, and the American Quarter Horse Association has a staff of 550 people.

“These are working horses,” said the manager. “They are cutters, ropers and range horses.”

Entrants ranged from age 6 to 65, and their campers and recreational vehicles turned the fairgrounds into a weekend village. Lawn chairs were placed around barbecue grills, pets were leashed to campers and all were set within a few feet of the horses’ stalls.

Courtney Bergeron, 12, traveled from Fitchburg, Mass., to try to accumulate more points in her best event, Youth Trail, an obstacle course. As she bridled her 17-year-old horse, Tubbs, Bergeron proudly said she was tied with three other riders as the best in the nation.

“I have been riding since I was 3,” she said. “I cannot imagine my life without it. I love it.” Bergeron said she competes nearly every weekend, including indoors in the winter months, and was prepared to head to a New York competition when through at Skowhegan.

“I started riding just for pleasure. My first horse just happened to be a quarter horse and then I started entering little, local shows,” she said. It took the perky, pre-teen only minutes to transform herself into a rouged and lipsticked performer, spurs on her boots, a fancy, red, embroidered Western shirt and a black cowboy hat.

Using hand movements and foot pressure, Bergeron moved Tubbs through the course, taking a third place from one judge and a second from the other.

While the competitors went through their paces, conversation outside the arena is horse-centered: feed, saddles, technique. The entire weekend is an intensive workshop, recital and learning experience for horses and riders. There are no levels in competition, just classes. Performance points earned determine classes and they are open, novice youth, novice amateur, youth and amateur.

Sam Fellows of North Searsmont is still competing in barrel racing and pole racing, even though he is 61 years old. “I quit in 1980 because I got busy,” he said Saturday as he sat in the shade of the horse barn, sipping coffee. “I thought I was too old. But I started again last year.

“I have to admit,” he laughed, “that I take Advil by the handful.”

Fellows was one of seven children raised around horses on a farm in Dexter. Now he drives tractor-trailer trucks and looks forward to weekend competitions. “We have a lot of fun,” he said. “The people that compete are wonderfully good company.”

Sharon Higgins of Berwick works in an office on a computer all day but operates a home stable and also looks forward to weekend barrel racing competitions.

“Quarter horses are so versatile,” she said as she cleaned a stall. “I love their structure, their confirmation, their big hips. They also usually have a very good temperament.”

Quarter horses have a free-flowing stride with a uniform cadence and rhythm, she said. “When you ride, it is a good workout, not just for the horse, but for the rider,” said Higgins.

Higgins said it is the personal challenge of barrel racing that appeals to her. While other women may take up power walking or golf, she prefers the horse show circuit. “I’m proud to say I’m a barrel racer,” she said.

The Skowhegan show offered 77 events from Friday to Sunday. The judges for the events were Holly Hover of Colorado, Debra P. Cooper of Arizona, Jeff A. Mellott of Kansas and Murray Griggs of Missouri.

The next quarter horse show at Skowhegan is set for Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1-3.