Horse Show

HARRODSBURG — The work may have slowed down at Crockett Springs Farm, but the winning hasn’t. David Crockett and Deborah Koning enjoyed another successful week at the Mercer County Fair & Horse Show, adding their first blue ribbon Friday night to a string of other ribbons they received last week. Crockett, who owns the legendary Harrodsburg farm where Tom Moore once trained champions, said it wasn’t his farm’s best week at the Mercer County Fairgrounds, but it was still pretty good.

HARRODSBURG — It was a local owner/trainer and exhibitor who walked away with the first-place finish in the American saddlebred yearling class Thursday night at the Mercer County Fair & Horse Show. Owner/trainer Joe T. Smith of Harrodsburg, exhibitor Harry Gilmore of Danville and stallion Mountjoy’s Spanish Moon won the yearling class at the Mercer County Fairgrounds. Mountjoy’s Spanish Moon won his class at the Lawrenceburg Horse Show last month, and Smith and Gilmore plan to enter him in the Kentucky amateur futurity at the World’s Championship Horse Show next month in Louisville and in the Indiana yearling futurity.

HARRODSBURG — Elisabeth Goth is happiest where the horses are. Never mind the news business or the film production business, both of which have figured prominently in her life in recent years. Goth is in her element in the show ring, making strides toward another world championship with another promising horse. That’s just what the Marion County-based owner/exhibitor was doing Wednesday night at the Mercer County Fair & Horse Show, where she rode Harley Rally to a victory in the adult three-gaited pleasure class in their final trial before the World’s Championship Horse Show next month in Louisville.

HARRODSBURG – Thirteen-year-old Courtney McGinnis prepared for her upcoming trip to next month’s Kentucky State Fair by winning the equitation 17-and-under class on the first night of the 183rd Mercer County Horse Show Tuesday. The Indianapolis native, who said she was making her third appearance at the Mercer show, came in first in the two-person class, the first to show. She rode Kiss of the Zodiac, a 9-year-old American Saddlebred horse of Fish Creek Stables in Fisher, Ind. McGinnis won this month’s Lexington Junior League junior saddle seat equitation championship and plans to compete at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville.

HARRODSBURG — Tayler Reinhart was competing in just one class at this year’s Mercer County Horse Show. So she was pleased she rode off with the blue ribbon Tuesday aboard Mastercraft’s Guess Who in the road pony under saddle class on the show’s opening night. “It’s just him (this week). Sometimes we have really amazing rides and sometimes I think we have amazing rides. But I’m pretty happy with him,” Reinhart said. Reinhart, 17, who will be a senior at North Oldham High School, has a pretty successful history with her 10-year-old hackney pony, which she keeps at her Windy Meadows Farm in Oldham County.

All signs are pointing up at the Mercer County Fair & Horse Show. From an increase in the number of classes on the program to higher demand for stall space, there are indications that activity will be brisk this week at the Mercer County Fairgrounds in Harrodsburg, where the 183rd edition of the show opens Tuesday. Requests for stall reservations in the fairgrounds barns are the best indicator fair officials have before the show opens, and show manager Brad Noel said the barns are filling up faster this year.

Fair events planned in Liberty for Saturday LIBERTY — The Casey County Fair will host two events at the Ag Expo Center. A truck pull will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday . A pleasure horse show will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday . For more information, about the horse show, call Brenda Stringer at (606) 303-3809; or about the truck pull, call Keith Wolford at (606) 303-4624. Planning commission cancels meeting The Lincoln County/Cedar Creek Planning Commission has canceled its regularly monthly meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 3 due to lack of agenda.

Monday through Saturday Garrard County Fairgrounds Today 6 p.m. — Western & miniature horse show — horse show ring Monday 7 p.m. — 4-H/FFA open goat show, market and breed (weigh-in 6 p.m.) 7 p.m. — Jr. Preteen/Miss Preteen Pageant — pavilion 8 p.m. — Clementsville Motorsports truck pull — motor sports track Also: Drill team demonstration — horse show ring Tuesday 6:30 p.m. — Tiny Miss and Mister/Little Miss and Mister — pavilion 7 p.m. — Poultry/swine show (weigh-in 6 p.m.)

Bill Wise says it isn't just about him. Yes, Wise is honored by his recent induction into the World's Championship Horse Show Hall of Fame. But the Danville saddlebred horse trainer said he is happy to share that honor with those who helped him succeed at a high level and who are now doing so themselves. "That's what that award is about, I think, to me," Wise said. "This is a great award. I think the people that have won this award have all been people that have really served the industry well and been successful from the industry.

The state department of agriculture decided to cut its 4-H equine funding, forcing 4-H administrators to find other ways to raise money for the program. In a letter to the 4-H Executive Director Keith Rogers, Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Richie Farmer wrote that the budget cuts in the department of agriculture's funding forced the department to cut the $50,000 it gives annually to the 4-H horse program. "We have been forced to considerably scale back the programs that we are able to support to those which are either required by statute, those absolutely essential to the public health and safety, or those funded by grants or other sources other than the General Fund with usage restrictions," the letter read.