MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Youth Equine Program is in the midst of its fourth year of hosting Equitation at the Grant County Fair. According to Becky Shay, president and founder of GCYEP, this is also the fourth year the program has existed.  

“I started it in 2022, we just decided that we wanted another outlet for a youth program to give the kids an opportunity to be in the arena. So, that's so that's what we did,” Shay said.  

Tuesday, the program held their western equitation in the Harwood Pavilion. Three groups competed: intermediate, junior and novice. Each group references a skill level, Shay said.  

Shay said judging in equitation falls more on the rider than the horse. The rider is supposed to communicate with the horse in subtle ways while maintaining control. Some horses trotted along the cones placed on the dirt course. Other horses showed rebellious tendencies, but the riders never looked unsettled by it. 

“Most judges start at 100 and work their way down. It's plus or minus (system). So that's how that is determined. Western games is completely different. Western games is time-based events, and we have different age brackets, skill set, and that's just you and the timer. So whoever has the fastest time wins that,” Shay said.  

This year, GCYEP brought 50 riders to the fair for their events, an increase from the 37 brought last year. With each year coming and going, Shay has taken notice of the program's increasing popularity in the community.  

“I am in awe of this program. I have an amazing group of parents and kids that all had the same goal, which was to keep our kids in the arena,” she said.  

As they have grown, Shay said it has become a huge family. All of the students who have come through the program have stayed because they were learning and getting new experiences, she said.  

They have gotten the opportunity to learn things like roping and participate in performance clinics. The program is not exclusive to horse owners; GCYEP allows anyone to learn how to ride.  

“We have kids that don't have horses, and so all of us that have extra horses, we provide horses for these kids, so these kids that don't have the opportunity to be a horse owner can actually have horses,” she said.  

With the increased amount of riders this year, one of the challenges Shay has navigated is balancing riders' different tendencies. Shay said each rider can approach riding differently. Some have big personalities, some do not. Some riders are timid. Some are new horse owners. With the help of her board in GCYEP and parents, navigating this week’s events has become easier.  

“I want every child and parent alike to be proud of the program that we are building, because it is not just me building. I could not build this program without the people in it. So that's how we navigate the bigger number,” Shay said.  

When the fair rolls around each year, it signifies the horse riding season is nearing its end. Shay said the program will have few more events over the next couple of months before having an awards ceremony in October.

At the ceremony, they honor sponsors for their support and hand out awards to riders to commemorate another year. Once the weather changes, riders take the winter off before returning to the arenas in the spring.  

As she looks at the rest of the week’s events, Shay continues to be in awe of the community support of GCYEP.  

“The community interaction has grown as my program has grown, and I have some really outgoing kids, and they love to talk about horses and facts and get the community involved... it's been neat to watch the growth in the community support of my kids. All of us support the kids in every event, but it's been really nice to see more of a public presence and a community presence here.” 

    A young rider trots with her horse in the GCYEP Equitation competition. GCYEP president, Becky Shay, said the organization had 50 riders participate in their events this year for the fair.
  

    A rider for GCYEP prepares for the Equitation competition outside of Harwood Pavillion at the Grant County Fair. Riders are scored based on how well they ride and maintain control of the horse.
  

    A rider in the GCYEP Equitation competition maintains control of her horse as she navigates around the outlined cones.
  

    Two riders prepare to compete in the GCYEP Equitation competition at the Grant County Fair. Many riders take the time to warm up their horses and get them settled before heading into Harwood Pavillion.