Monday night, a dedicated group of 4-H horse project leaders assembled new portable bleachers for the horse arena at the Rock County Fairgrounds.
It’s no small undertaking.
The bleachers arrived last week in a tidy box filled with hundreds of bolts, rivets and aluminum pieces. When assembled, they become a safe and secure public seating area.
The old wood and steel bleachers can hopefully benefit another organization.
They remind me of the two longtime, dedicated 4-H horse project supervisors, Stan and Ginny Soutar.
More than 40 years ago, these horse enthusiasts helped me fulfill a young girl’s dream of owning and caring for a horse. Without them, I wouldn’t have received that initial gray pony and the subsequent larger quarter horse raised on their farm on the outskirts of Luverne.
I joined 4-H to learn how to ride and show those horses under the Soutars’ tutelage.
Decades later, I am still riding and showing a horse with my own riding abilities improving considerably over that time period.
I recently returned as an active volunteer to the 4-H horse project, instructing youth on what it takes to earn a blue ribbon at the fair.
However, the number of 4-H horse project riders is dwindling.
Only five 4-H’ers out of a possible 30 attended the session. No longer is it mandatory for youth to attend these sessions in order to participate at the Rock County Fair.
I don’t agree with that rule.
In my previous work with the horse project, youth needed to attend five summer sessions over a three-month period. The sessions allowed both the horses and young riders to get used to one another and learn the riding and showing skills.
I see many horses grazing in the pastures of Rock County. I often wonder if their owners ride them regularly, and if they have children who could benefit from what the 4-H horse project has to offer.
Six other adults join me at the Wednesday night sessions. I am hoping more kids will also join us in the coming weeks. After all, learning the requirements it takes to earn a blue ribbon takes time and practice.
As of today, the Rock County Fair is six weeks away.
Both Stan and Ginny Soutar are gone, as will be the old bleachers that contain that wooden plaque thanking them for the donated seating.
The Soutars helped me become a blue-ribbon rider. I am fortunate and proud that I and the six other adult volunteers can continue the tradition and standards they set for decades. Going forward, we’ll soon see what our hard work generates as we volunteers watch from those new bleachers.