One 4-H family’s love for animals has them now bringing dozens to show at the fair.
Three miniature horses, four goats, eight quail and 10 chickens were the animals that 15-year-old Morgan Wade brought to the Johnson County 4-H and Agricultural Fair this year.
Her family lives on a five-acre property in Bargersville. While they’ve had horses for years, the remainder of their animals were gradually added over the past several years, Wade said.
The newest addition is the quail, which their family enjoys keeping because of the small eggs they lay, Wade said.
Keeping track of all the animals at the fair requires a combined effort of assistance from family and friends to make sure they are all fed and taken care of, Wade said.
One of her favorite parts of being at the fair is the opportunity to show off her animals to all of the visitors. Wade especially enjoys showing off her miniature horses, who are always up for petting, she said. She had to put up a sign at her stable to let people know that they were inside, because the horses aren’t tall enough for their heads to peek up over the wall.
With the miniatures horses, Wade takes part in competitions ranging from having the animals pull a cart to a costume contest.
Training one of her horses, Remi, to pull a cart was the biggest challenge leading up to the fair. Lots of repetition — along with apple flavored snacks when instructions were followed — was the key to getting ready, she said.
