Preparing for 4-H County Fair?

Question

i'm budgeting for county fair, as you may have read in my other question... anyway, i'm wondering what kinds of things you suggest i have for the show since i'll be there for two, maybe 3, days straight (for my horse). i only have one water bucket, as the ones used at the barn belong to the barn, but i'll bring my horse's grain pan and grain scoop for feeding, plus we have a giant utility bucket from home depot in the garage... will that be enough? and i plan on bringing a wheelbarrow, and i'm thinking about investing in a stable fork as well. if i don't buy my own i'll borrow from the barn probably. i have one extra halter and lead rope, my sister is showing her horse as well so we'd share it, plus my horse's showmanship halter and she has her showmanship halter as well. (so i think 5 halters and leads will be safe enough, don't you?) we're bringing hay bags and hay from the barn, is it an absolute necessity to have a bale bag to carry the hay in? we'll have our first aid kit with us, with a human one in the car.

what other things do we need? this will be my first time at fair, i'm going with my 4-H club (and we're the biggest club in the county so ill have lots of friends and help). any other tips? i need to figure out what i'll need to buy in these next few months so i can budget.

thanks!

Answer 1

Label everything that is yours - Fairs are notorious for things to magically disappear.



For your grain, take plastic bags and pre bag your portions, so all you have to do is open the bag and dump. Hay storage you can use the 55gal contractor bags - again label your bag, your horse is used to his hay, and it all starts looking the same after a few days.



Does your horse do well drinking away from home - mine did not like the city water, and we had to bring water from home for the first day, and mix in the other water.



If your club does not have a barn duty schedule see about setting one up, that way you all get to enjoy the fair, someone is always at the barn, be sure you have a card with your emergency contact number to put on your stall, with your vets name and number as well.



Get your paperwork in order - does your county require a premise ID on your registration form? ours does now, be sure to get that from the barn owner, if needed



Reevaluate your vaccinations - do you need an influenza booster?



Those are a few of the not so obvious things I can think of at the moment....

Answer 2

One extra halter/lead between the two of you is plenty if you both have regular halters plus a show halter--because a show halter will work just fine if you lose/break the rest.



When we go to shows, we put the hay bale in a garbage bag. It works just as well and it's easy clean up. It also works to line the floor underneath the bale if we have to set it on the ground outside the stall, and it's easy to put loose hay back in it.



Bring a chain or something to secure the water bucket. If it has a handle, it doesn't need to be left on the ground. Haystrings work well as cheap ties ;).



Have all of your grooming/wash stuff (brushes, clippers, shampoo, sponge, wash bucket, fly spray, combs, show sheen, etc.). You might want to invest in a hose, or make sure someone from the barn has one. Not all wash facilities come with one, and occasionally they are broken, missing, have holes in them, etc. You might also want to bring a sprayer attachment for the end of the hose. Bring a box fan for your horse and brings ties (again, haystrings work!) to secure it to the stall. I suggest bringing an extension cord and a multiplug strip as well because there are never enough outlets in the barn. Use either plastic zipties or electrical tape to secure any electrical cords to the tops of the stalls so they don't hang loose and get chewed on by a horse. Bring a sign for the stall door that has your name, barn name, and contact info in case of an emergency. Bring something to secure the stall with if there is any doubt about the suitability of the latch (our 4-H barns have horrible latches and we always put a halter or chain around it as well, just in case). If you get a tack stall, bring a lock. I like having a tack hook/hanger to put bridles, halters, etc. on when I'm rushing around getting ready.

Answer 3

It relatively is dependent, to begin with in your local weather, but additionally the breed. Most farm animals indexed at the American Livestock Breed Conservacy (ALBC) internet site are really hardy, however you relatively ought to seem for a breed that matches your discipline.