As Elizabeth Easterly rode onto the dirt course, her horse, Nikki, began whipping her head upward, seemingly conveying an unwillingness to take part in a timed obstacle event moments later.
“Nikki, knock it off. Really?” Connie Packer, a Clark County 4-H member along with Elizabeth, asked rhetorically from a viewing section.
The 4-H Horse Pre-Fair Performance Show, a qualifier for the Clark County and Washington State fairs, featured multiple timed events this weekend at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds. As the 38 contestants, ages 8 to 18, competed in pole bending, barrel races and other events, they also tackled a challenge that is unique to non-equine competitions: the horses’ differing personalities.
Nikki’s is laziness, said Elizabeth, 13, of Vancouver. As a result, Elizabeth must kick Nikki constantly to avoid slowing down during an event.
“She doesn’t want to go fast,” Elizabeth said. “I just use my legs and lean forward.”
For Loki, it’s goofiness. Much like his rider — Josie Olson, 18, of Battle Ground — the horse has its fair share of quirks, Olson said.
“When you look back, it’s like, ‘That is so something I would do,’ ” Olson said of some of Loki’s antics. “He’s just a cool dude.”
Olson said she needs to be relaxed when riding Loki to keep him calm. The method apparently works, as the duo finished first in the two-barrel flag race Sunday with a time of 8.78 seconds.
Loki also knows how to smile, a trick he learned from his rider. The downside, however, appears when he smiles during showmanship events, when horses are judged by their appearances. While some judges enjoy the friendly gesture, other aren’t as impressed, Olson said.
“It’s kind of frustrating, but it’s also kind of funny,” Olson said.
One of the top priorities when training should be gaiting, the manner in which a horse walks and runs, said Jessica Gould, gaming coordinator with Clark County 4-H. Especially at events with plenty of other equines around, horses may resist running by themselves.
“Horses run in herds. They see their friends right by and they want to stick together,” Gould said.
Age also plays a significant role. With younger horses, more practice is required. Pebbles, ridden by Gould’s daughter Brianna, 10, is 20 years old, for example.
“We never recommend a young horse with young kids,” Gould said.
Hailey Saeman, 14, of Hockinson, accepted the challenge of a younger horse as she entered her teenage years. Initially, her horse Chex to Chex, now 7, would be hesitant during events. But a year of training has paid off, with the duo finishing first in the keyhole — 10.32 seconds — and figure 8 — 18.17 seconds — races on Sunday.
“Once he realized it was fun to do it, he would get excited about it,” Hailey said. “He’s just picked it up after a while.”
Emma Messer’s horse — Mohave, 17 — can sometimes be skittish, and the reason is clear. Mohave is blind in his right eye, so he sometimes feels uncomfortable turning right and spooks easily when animals appear out of nowhere.
Emma, 13, of Woodland, said she must kick harder and make sure she has extra control of the horse during right turns.
“He really has to depend on my voice and my body a lot,” Emma said.
Most of the animals competing this weekend were quarter horses. The breed is a common sight at rodeos, horse shows and as working ranch horses.
“Just like dogs have different personalities per breed, horses do as well,” Gould said. “They’re good-minded horses.”
