On a cloudy Thursday morning, 13-year-old Maddie Sutton of Kalispell wiped black hoof polish on her horse Blue at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.

What sets Blue apart from the average horse is his size: Blue is about as high as Maddie’s waist.

Blue is one of many pint-sized horses being groomed for the 4-H/FFA Miniature Horse Show.

“I just think they are the coolest because they can do a whole bunch of things that people never expect them to do. They drive carts, can do obstacles, they can do drafting and chariot races — everything a bigger horse does,” Maddie said.

Over near a stable, Hayden Hansen, 12, of Bigfork ran a brush over her “mini” Pixie. Her mother, Brooke Johnston, then misted Pixie’s coat with a shine spray for the first miniature horse division of the day — showmanship.

Johnston said the horse’s small stature probably attracts people who have children or who want a horse that is less costly to care for.

“They’re pretty much the same [as regular horses], just smaller. They eat a lot less. We started with my girls because when I was riding and doing stuff I could stick them on a mini and they could mirror everything I’d do,” Johnston said.

 Johnston noted that if a miniature horse ever made a misstep or kicked, there was a few hundred pounds to worry about instead of 1,200.

With a final look over their horses, seven junior class competitors lined up. Maddie was the first in line with Hayden rounding out the group.

Each competitor walked his or her horse to a judge. The judge ran her hand down the length of each horse’s body before walking around, looking it over. The judge then asked competitors a question about a part of the horse.

After each competitor was judged, it was announced over a loudspeaker that Hayden was the reserve champion. Sarabeth Rogge, 13, of Lakeside, with her miniature horse Angel, was the grand champion. This is the fourth year Sarabeth has shown miniature horses.

Leaving the pen, Sarabeth gave Angel a pat on the back. While a polished appearance is important for both handler and horse, Sarabeth said judges look at how well handlers present their horses and if they do so with positive attitude.

Later in the day, Angel will be dressed up as the cowardly lion and Sarabeth as Dorothy from the “Wizard of Oz,” for the costume division.

After showmanship, a senior class of two competitors was walked through an obstacle course for the in-hand obstacle division of competition.

Under a light rain, 15-year-old Krystal Sutton, of Kalispell, brought her horse Bet into the pen.

For the first obstacle Bet walked backward around a tube-shaped object. Krystal then led Bet to an arrow on the ground. Dropping the lead, she walked around the horse. Picking up the lead, she led Bet over to a hula hoop, raised it over her body and then held it in front of Bet, who walked through before getting to the most challenging part of the course — sidestepping over a white plank.

Standing over the plank, Bet deftly sidestepped the length of it to the amazement of some people in the audience.

“The sidestep is the hardest because you have to make sure they do it without you touching,” Krystal said. The pair took an entire summer to practice the maneuver.

At the final obstacle, Krystal placed a burlap sack of cans across Bet’s back and led the horse to the end of the course. Krystal and Bet completed the course with ease and were named grand champions.

Krystal has been showing “minis” since 2008 and wouldn’t call herself a pro, but said, “We have been practicing for a long time.”

In addition to showmanship, in-hand obstacle and costume, other 4-H divisions included jumping, ground driving and driving.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.