News
Hagen enjoys the sport of showmanship
Heather Milbrath
06/19/2012
Fair-goers always have expectations of what they will see at the county fair, from the rides and concerts, to the exhibits and animals. Every piece of the fair takes much time and effort from many groups, but one of the youngest demographics that partake in these activities is the 4-H youth.
Seena Hagen is no stranger to the hard work it takes to prepare animals for the fair. She has been showing her horse since she was 10 years old. It is also something that is a family tradition for Hagen.
“My family has been showing for years.” Hagen said. “My grandpa was a horse trainer and farrier so it runs in the family.”
Hagen chose to show her quarter horse named Jasmin for the Bottineau Fair this year. This decision paid off for her, because she won five grand champions and one reserved champion award.
Showing keeps Hagen busy all summer, as she usually has at least one show every weekend. She feels that preparing her horse is a never-ending job.
“I have to practice circles and keeping Jasmin collected throughout the summer.” Hagen said. “The day before, I give her a bath and band her mane. However, you are never done preparing because there is always something to work on.”
Hagen loves to see when this hard work manifests in the improvements of Jasmin.
“My favorite part is just seeing how well I can do with Jasmin.” Hagen said. “We are a team and have to work together. It’s not a competition to see if we can beat everyone else; it’s how much better we can get with each show.”
Hagen said that one of the awards she is most proud of was getting first in the year end awards for the Fargo shows.
Another woman who is extremely proud of her horse showing trophies is Arla Hall. Although Hall no longer shows, she still enjoys watching the younger generation.
“I showed horses for probably 40 years and it was a lot of fun.” Hall said. “I haven’t shown a horse in 15 years.”
Hall tries to make it to as many horse shows as she is able.
Her home is decorated with countless horse trophies, dating back to the late 1940s when she first began showing.
“I was a horse gal when I was little.” Hall said. “I was on a horse before I could walk. You can see how many horse shows I went to by all the trophies I got.”
Hall has decided that she no longer wants to keep all these trophies sitting on her shelves.
“I was watching these young people at the fair a couple years ago, and I wasn’t sure if they were giving them anything.” Hall said.
She then decided that she would give her trophies to kids who won at 4-H events.
“They’re not that much good to me anymore,” Hall said. “I have enjoyed them through the years, but they might as well use them.”
Two of Hall’s trophies were awarded to young 4-H’ers during the Bottineau County Fair this year. Hall enjoys watching this young generation of horse lovers, like Hagen, continue to take part in showmanship activities. She would like to donate all her trophies to the fair association eventually.
Although many things about showing have changed since Hall’s day, the one thing that has not is the participants love for their animals, whether they are 16 or 93 years old.