Mini horses, big hearts at small equine show

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This article was published 02/07/2024 (618 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After three years of showing miniature horses, Rebecca Penner finally took home a grand championship on Saturday at the Manitoba Small Equine Show.

Penner and six-year-old stallion Kolt with RC Performance Horses out of St. Geneviève won in the country pleasure driving for over horses (those taller than 34 inches) category.

“He can be lazy in the classes he needs to be and energetic when asked to,” Penner said of her horse. “He has an on-off switch. Day to day, he’s a very laid-back gentleman. He’ll be in your pocket, he’d prefer to have a treat right now. He’s going ‘I want my lunch.’”

They were among the more than 60 miniature horses and Shetland ponies from 17 different farms that gathered at the Keystone Centre on Saturday and Sunday for the annual event.

The horses at the event were judged in several categories, including halter, showmanship and driving.

Though Penner has been working with horses since she was seven years old, her entry into the world of miniature horses only came recently when she made good on a promise to her best friend, Natasha Nickel, that she’d give the smaller animals a try.

“I got in trouble,” she said with a smile as she groomed Kolt in one of the barns at the Westoba Agricultural Centre of Excellence.

This was the second year that Penner attended the show in Brandon. As someone who’s still learning about the miniatures, she said she appreciates the diversity of ages and experiences of those who come.

This week, Penner is taking her miniature horses to the Yorkton Exhibition Summer Fair for the first time. Going in with a championship under her belt gives her hope that she’ll be able to add more ribbons to her collection.

In another barn, Gwen Schubert and Glenda Goerzen said they come to the small equine show every year, in part because it serves as a qualifier for the American Miniature Horse Registry National Show. Held every year in Tulsa, Okla., an average of 1,500 animals come together there to compete.

In order to qualify for the big event, they said they have to get their horses judged by at least four judges at two shows.

Schubert said she has reached the point where she can no longer pull and barrel race full-size horses.

“I’ve gotten into the little ones and we find that you can do everything with the littles that you can do, basically, with the bigs,” said Schubert, who hails from West St. Paul. “If you have back problems or something along that line, it helps.”

Other than the size, Schubert said the miniatures have different personalities and the community around them is phenomenal, especially toward newcomers and kids.

Goerzen said she finds the miniatures to be very personable and easygoing.

“They’re very portable and affordable,” said Goerzen, who comes from St. Andrews. “They don’t take as much feed as a big horse.”

On top of qualifying for nationals, both women were looking to earn points toward upgrading the hall of fame status for their horses from the American Miniature Horse Registry.

Schubert said she was looking to get her mare’s recognition level to gold, while Goerzen recently finished achieving hall of fame status for one of her horses.

One of the committee members for the show, Heather Hart, started off as an exhibitor when the show started almost 20 years ago and has been a volunteer for the last seven.

She said what keeps her coming back is her love for the little horses, as well as the camaraderie and friendship she has developed with the other exhibitors.

Similar to Schubert, Hart said her advancing age makes it difficult to work with big horses, but the smaller horses remain manageable. Of all the competitions on offer, she said she really loves the roadster class.

“I used to do it, I haven’t for years, but that is my favourite by far,” Hart said. “We have introduced another class. It’s kind of a fun one. That’s the carriage class. You’ll see the ladies dress up with fancy hats, driving aprons and so on. That’s kind of a fun class, too.”

Among the competitors at the event were seven youths. Hart said they want to build up the young participants in the sports to foster the spirit of the next generation.

Whether they are showing horses or just volunteering, she said being at the show is a good learning experience for them.

Because it’s the biggest show in Manitoba for the smaller horses, Hart said they do as much as they can to draw in exhibitors, including bringing in judges so they can qualify for higher levels of competition.

She said her husband Rod, who serves as a judge, has gone across the U.S. and Canada and they have found that the Keystone Centre is the premier facility for this kind of show.

Even though this year’s show has only just ended, Hart said they’re already working on dates for next year. That’s because having dates established as early as possible allows them to book officials among competition from their shows.

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