Vinnie stomped the ground. The chestnut-colored horse was having his hooves shoed and shaped by farrier Kirk Lucas on Thursday afternoon at the west end of the Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education.
Sparks flew as Lucas shaped Vinnie's new horseshoe. Horses must have their shoes replaced and hooves maintained every six to eight weeks in the warmer months, Lucas said. This is his 35th year as a farrier, which is someone who shoes horses. He works every day of the week.
"Horses are just like people," Lucas said. "Some are easy to get along with, just like there are easy people to get along with. And some you just can't deal with."
Vinnie is one of the horses competing in the four-day Showtime 2006 at the Pavilion. Arabian horses, half-Arabian horses, national show horses and sport horses are taking part in the annual competition presented by the Half Arabian Association of Michigan.
Diana Schauer, secretary of the organization, said Thursday that 240 horses were already scheduled to compete, but more could show up throughout the weekend. She said the event is only for specific types of horses, such as Arabian horses.
"It's just a particular breed — like you have many different breeds of dogs, there's many different breeds of horses," she said. "They're not as common as, say, your quarter horse."
At the south end of the Pavilion, country music played over the speakers as Lynn Van Dyke, 25, settled her horse, Double-Stuffed Oreo, back into the stall. She and the half-Arabian just won first place in the Hunter Pleasure - Novice Horse competition.
"We work six days a week at home to prepare for competitions," the Grand Haven horse trainer said. "Most of the work is preparation."
Van Dyke said the judging is based on consistency and how precise certain positions are, as well as the horse's appearance — if it's clean and its mane is braided nicely. Riders' clothing is also judged, she said.
Fifty yards away, Jennifer Henderson, a horse trainer at Ambiance Arabians, a horse farm in Howell, and her student Rachel Braun prepared for their upcoming competition. The 18-year-old Braun helped Henderson, 25, pin her hair back.
Henderson, a 2001 MSU graduate, began showing horses when she was 14 and now teaches others how to compete.
"I teach the students and make them the best pairs they can be so we can be here and do well," she said.
One of Henderson's 14 horses, strutted up to the trainer, and the farm's dog scampered toward the pen.
"Every farm brings a dog," she said. "We usually joke it's a dog show rather than a horse show. I've seen people bring pigs and miniature horses before."
Schauer, who helped organize the event, said pets are a normal staple at horse shows.
"People here are horse-lovers and there are dog-lovers and cat-lovers," she said. "We're animal people ourselves. Dogs are welcome."
She said people are welcome to come and see the show for free.
"We encourage people to come and watch," she said. "They can walk the barns and look at the horses and we don't charge anything to watch the show."
The show will continue all day today through Sunday, beginning each day at 8 a.m. and ending in the afternoon. Admission is free.
