Horse activities abound at Norfolk County Fair

Farm Chore is a competition at the Norfolk County Fair that involves drivers with a horse and wagon performing tasks that would be done by their forefathers decades ago. This includes backing into a loading dock.

By Lisa Wright

There will be plenty of horsepower October 7-13th in Simcoe as the kind with hooves, manes and tails compete at the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show!

First some perspective:

Started in 1840, making it one of Canada’s oldest agricultural fairs, the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show is 27 years older than Confederation and 11 years older than Canada’s first postage stamp. It also has a long history of horse events and competitions. At various times there have been chariot, chuck wagon, pony and Standardbred racing on the track, as well as Hackneys, Friesians, Saddlebreds and a nationally ranked Hunter/Jumper show, counting towards qualifying for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The breeds and events have changed with the times, but horses continue to be a big part of the daily events at the fair.

To help you understand the various competitions being held this year, here’s a brief guide to the class schedules and how they are judged.

Youth & Hoof

Things start off Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m. with classes for junior riders just getting started in Youth & Hoof. These young riders and handlers are judged on their skill and how well their horse or pony responds to their cues while navigating obstacles and patterns. This is all about family and fun, finishing with a costume class. Cheer on your favourite little rider!

Hunters

Wednesday is for Hunters – but no camo or guns here! This is a competition with roots in the old English sport of fox hunting. Horses will have braided manes and tails, riders will be in formal English riding attire with clean, polished equipment. These classes are judged on a combination of looks and performance. Long before Uber and taxis, a “hack” was a horse you could rent to ride from one town to another or take for a leisurely tour through a city park. Modern Hack classes don’t demand any jumping, but the horse must be well-mannered and enjoyable to ride. Since fox hunting involves galloping through fields, jumping over any hedges, stone walls and fences in between, Hunter classes mimic this with natural-looking obstacles. Jump height is based on the experience of horse or rider. The emphasis is on a seemingly effortless round, consistent pace, smooth turns and not hitting or knocking down rails. The best make it look so easy!

Jumpers

Thursday morning starts with jumpers, and it’s one of the easiest competitions for spectators to score as it’s all about faults and time. Style doesn’t matter. Jumps are colourful and include sequences, called “combinations”, closer together. Knocking down a rail (or more on a single obstacle) incurs four faults, as does a refusal. A refusal can be an actual stop, or simply turning away and circling back. Riders with zero faults go on to a timed jump-off. Tight turns and a faster gallop are needed, but the fastest clean jump-off round (0 faults) wins. Riders have to gamble how quickly their horse can negotiate the course without a knockdown.

Farm Chore

Thursday afternoon is the Farm Chore competition, imitating the type of work a team or single driving horse would typically be expected to do on a farm. The team must stand quietly to be hitched and perform their tasks efficiently. Single horses enter the ring already hitched (ironic as this may sound) and perform similar chores. These classes require skilled driving, well-trained horses and showcase how things were done before gas-powered machines!

The big horses

The fairgrounds might shake as the big Belgians, Clydesdales and Percherons take over on Friday and Saturday, with classes for all ages of horses and their people. In the breeding classes, initially horses of the same age (by year) and same sex vie for the top ribbons. They are judged on movement and structure, otherwise known as conformation. First and second place of their class go on to compete for Junior (2 and under) or Senior (3 and over) Champion Mare or Stallion and ultimately Grand Champion and Best of Breed. Local breeder Dan Hayward will be competing with his Belgians. Dan grew up “sharing a fence line with the fairgrounds” and started showing saddle horses over 50 ago! In the Junior Showmanship classes, young handlers are judged on how well they present their horse, including a class for Small Fry less than 7 years-old. Often these handlers don’t reach their horse’s elbow! Singles, teams, unicorns, 4 and 6 horse hitches compete in harness. Unicorns at the Norfolk Fair? Not of the mythical or cartoon type: a unicorn hitch comprises three horses, a pair closest to the driver and a single out front. This requires well trained horses, a particularly brave lead horse and a talented driver. There will also be classes pitting these three breeds against each other both ridden and in harness. Which breed will win the Draft Horse barrel race? Friday, The Norfolk Fair hosts the finals for the Ontario Four Horse Hitch series, bringing together the ten best draft teams and drivers from the region and beyond.

Western horses

Sunday features three different horse competitions, starting with the Western Horse Show at 9am. It is open to all breeds, and offers a wide variety of classes from Lead line for the wee ones to Masters for those 40 and over. Timed events such as pole bending, barrels and dash for cash are always crowd pleasers while Pleasure, Trail and Horsemanship classes demonstrate focus, calm and accuracy.

Going small

The equines get smaller as the Miniature Horse Show gets underway at 9:30 a.m.. Miniature Horses aren’t ponies. They have been bred to have the same proportions as a horse but at less than 38” tall they are shorter than many dogs! Children often find learning basic horse skills less intimidating with Miniature Horses. This competition offers Halter, Obstacle, Barrel, Driving and Costume classes for juniors and adults.

Teaming up

At 12:30 p.m. the Team Horse Pull gets underway. Teams are weighed upon arrival, with “light” teams weighing 3,400 pounds or less, combined. That’s almost 1 ½ tons of horseflesh. The heavy teams can weigh nearly two tons! Each team has two tries to pull a weighted skid, called a boat, a minimum distance, usually 12-15 feet. These horses can pull over three times their body weight with only vocal encouragement from their teamster. The Calgary Stampede record is 13,400 lbs. Will we see a new record set in Norfolk?

And last, but not least

Haflingers round up the horse shows on Monday. This breed originated in the Tyrol mountains of Austria and Italy. They are sturdy, sure-footed and equally suited to saddle or harness. A wide variety of breeding and performance classes will showcase these willing, reliable and beautiful chestnuts with flaxen manes and tails.

There’s something for every horse enthusiast at the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show, from the smallest of Miniature Horses to huge drafts. Come enjoy the quieter version of horsepower! 