Racine County 4-H Horse and Pony Project more about creativity than dressage

By Phyllis Sides

Thursday, July 26, 2007 2:10 AM CDT

Journal Times

UNION GROVE - On Sunday at the Racine County Fair there will be many horses on parade. There may even be a horse of a different color.

At 10 a.m., the young people from the Racine County 4-H Horse and Pony Project will relax, after days of competition, for a little fun with the costume class.

Project president Kathy Kaprelian said the annual event "is the highlight of the fair week for our youth in the project. It is a crowd favorite. It has grown larger than the goat parade at the fair."

Kaprelian said the costume event has been going on forever, and the main idea is to have fun. Participants dress themselves and their horses in costumes.

"This is something for the kids who don't win in the other events," said Jean Schultz, superintendent of veterinary science at the fair. "Beginners can win. One year we had a '57 Chevy. We've had 'The Wizard of Oz.' They just get creative, and the horses are so patient."

On Wednesday, the fair's opening day, some project members talked about their costumes for Sunday. Kara Guarascio and her horse, Wolfy, will bring color to the event with a punk rock theme. A 13-year-old from Racine, her stalwart steed will get into character with a green and purple mohawk hairdo.

Julia Lichtenberger, also from Racine, will be patriotic as the Statue of Liberty, and her horse Liberty will be Liberty Island. Lichtenberger, 13, said she will wear a gown and carry a torch while Liberty will be draped with some fabric to look like an island or a rock.

Samantha Albright, 15, will bring the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" to the show ring. Albright, of Franksville, has an old wedding dress dyed yellow that she'll wear. Her horse, Jimmy, who looks a little like the Beast, will be draped in white fabric with a blue tie.

Melissa Luke of Burlington and her horse, Taylor, will be putting out fires Sunday.

"I'm going to be a spotted dog, and Taylor is going to be a fire engine," said Luke, 15.

For Louise Behling, Sunday will be something of a farewell. The 19-year-old from Union Grove will be going to college in Stevens Point in the fall.

"I'm going to miss it," Behling said about the costume class. "It's fun, but it's difficult because you don't know what to do with a huge animal."

She and her horse, Sierra, will clown it up for spectators with a trip to the circus.

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