On Monday, Ryan Wattles stood just outside the outdoor riding arena at the Routt County Fairgrounds watching the action in the intermediate horsemanship class.

Wattles, who grew up in Routt County taking part in the fair, was watching his 14-year-old daughter, Sydney, and 11-year-old daughter, Lucy, compete in the same class of Monday’s equestrian events at the Routt County Fair.

“It’s cool to see,” Ryan said as he waited for the girls to ride into the arena to be judged. “They take it pretty seriously, and they enjoy this competition a lot.”

---

---

Behind the fences of the arena between the showmanship and the horsemanship events, the two girls worked together to prepare for the next event. Lucy was coming off of a strong showing in Saturday’s open horse show where she earned reserved grand champion in the overall and grand champion in the Western riding events.

“It’s great because we can just help each other out a lot,” Sydney said. “There is always someone to ride with, and if I did something wrong, she will see it and she will let me know. I do the same for her. She is really great at most things she does, and she has taught me that I need to put the work in if I want to be good.”

---

---

Truth is both young 4-H athletes were good in the arena Monday with Sydney taking first in the intermediate class in showmanship where she just edged out Lucy, who placed second. She also took the top prize in her class in horsemanship with her sister placing third.

There is no question the sisters want to win in the arena, but they insist they can keep that competitive spirt in check.

“We know that whoever won deserved it and that we both worked hard,” Lucy said.”We spend a lot of time together taking care of our horses, and it’s just a lot of fun to get into the arena and compete.”

Just outside the arena their dad said that both of his daughters were winners no matter what ribbons they took home.

“The biggest thing I see in kids in 4-H is the responsibility they have because of their animals, and it gives them a huge amount of self-confidence,” Ryan said. “You see that in every kid at the fair. They are just confident kids because they have real responsibilities. … There is a sense of accomplishment because they have some big project at the end and they get to show off.”

For Morgan Kopischke, this year’s horse events at the Routt County Fair will mark the end of her 4-H journey, which began when she was an 8-year-old competing in the junior division, because this is the last year she is eligible for 4-H. She started her final Routt County Fair by winning the senior showmanship and horsemanship events.

“This is my last one because I’m heading off to college, and it’s my last year doing fair,” said Kopischke, who will head to Colorado State University this week. “That’s also what makes this day even more special because it’s my last one.”

Kopischke said she has been on horses for as long as she can remember and has competed at large shows across the state. The Routt County Fair, however, holds a special place.

“It’s fun because I get to be with all my friends,” Kopischke said. “When I go to the faraway shows I’m usually just kind of by myself. … There may be a little bit less competition, I guess, compared to the other shows, but I mostly come for the fun.”