8/9/16 This year we added showing at the Iowa State Fair to the bucket list. Last year we decided Jayden should enter the state fair to run barrels and poles. Mark thought it was a great idea saying that the fair is more fun when you are in it. He was all for the idea. He has shown cattle many years as a kid at the state fair. I never showed any animals at state fair. Getting to run in the Jacobson building alone would be worth going. That is an awesome equine facility.Our whole family was going for the day. We were all up at 5Am and tried to be on the road at 6. We were a little off our schedule. The Iowa state fair had extensive detailed instructions for enrolling, unloading, parking, checking in, and releasing animals. It is the most extreme check in process. We pulled in close to 8 am and had to go through a special gate with our parking pass. We only had 10 to 15 minutes to unload our horse and all supplies before they start threatening to tow you. We had to then take the horse health certificate to the onsite vet to be stamped. Next,we got a check-in number and waited for the number to be called. Once your number was called you took your horse and waited in line with all paper work to be inspected and check –in. Then we took the paperwork to the office to get a number and t-shirt. Hurry up and wait is the name of the game. It did'nt take long for the horse barn to heat up and it was so hot by the middle of the day.From there we waited until the first class of poles. It started around 2:00. Both Grandparents and Aunt and Uncle Ferrari came down to watch. It was a long day at the fair. The 4H program is very strict and full of specific rules: must walk your horse in and only three attempts to go in before getting a DQ, once in you must wait for the gate to close before running, only one circle allowed at beginning and end, no touching barrel or pole with hand, and must get off and lead your horse out the gate. There were many horses that got DQ throughout the day. I felt bad for those kids that’s horses gave them a hard time at the gate and got disqualified. To think they went all the way to the state fair only to be sent home over something like that. It could easily have been Jayden because Ace will turn and back at the gate. Today Jadyen spent lots of time riding to the gate and working on going in nice. That he did, he was so quiet at the gate and going in. If nothing else, today was a training session for Ace at the gate. The poles did not go well, It was a long run to the end pole and Ace was going top speed, he came around and knocked one pole, then another, and 3 total. When running poles you are in such a rhythm, if you get off it is hard to get back on. Barrels started off with a smoking speed and good first barrel, she knocked second with a time of 16.57. Oh how much that one hurt. The seniors' fastest time was a 17.3 and the champion round over all for the day won with a 16.5, Jayden’s time was the fastest of the day. All the should have could have been runs this year are so upsetting. Frustrating is the word!! A girl in the junior division had the fastest time and had to go in for the final round, the top run again. Her horse froze at the gate and after three attempts she was DQ. That would be so upsetting too.
While spending our long day at the fair, Jayden hung our with Kelsi who also shows horses from our county. By the end of the day the boys were tired and bored. They had Alivia to help entertain them most of the day. At the end of our day, Mark could not get out fast enough. Once again their procedures for going home were so tedious, that Mark had pulled into the fairgrounds with the truck and trailer only to be stopped because he did not have the correct permit and had to drive back to his parking lot to get a pass for the truck to go and get our horse. It was 9:00 wen we left and he was getting grumpy by then. I was pretty thrilled that we were about 3 hours earlier heading home than what most people had anticipated. We were also ahead of a rodeo night getting home, although we still had left home at 6AM. It was a long day. I try to look on the bright side, just wish Mark could too.
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