Addison Coomer, 11, trains with horses three days a week to prepare for competing in shows all around the region.

On Saturday, the Seymour resident joined many other area youth in the Jackson County 4-H horse show at the fairgrounds in Brownstown.

Coomer placed first in four separate events with her horse Smoky.

“I’ve been riding horses since I was five,” she said. “Horses can pretty much do anything we have them do.”

The family leases Smoky from Valerie Eckert, who trains horses. Through the lease they also are able to train at Eckert’s farm.

“Valerie houses the horses and Smoky actually belongs to Malana Fields,” Addison’s mother, Brook, said. “So she keeps the horse in Valerie’s barn and between the two of them, they allow us time at the barn to ride and in the stables.”

Coomer received first place ribbons in Junior Showmanship, English Pleasure, English Equitation and Hunter Hack.

Although she has to show her horse in front of judges and a crowd, Coomer said her experience makes her more confident.

“I wasn’t nervous,” she said.

“I think we’re the ones getting nervous more than her,” Brook added.

Coomer has been honing her skills for the last few months in preparation for the fair. That work has included improving her horse’s trotting, diagonals, loping and other things.

“It’s something that’s ongoing throughout the year,” Brook said of her daughter’s training.

Coomer participates in several regional shows in Indiana, including in Osgood, Salem and Westport. But even with all the work she puts into showing horses, it can be difficult to win.

“I’m actually pretty shocked I won four,” she said of her ribbons. “It’s a lot of work.”

Danny Clark of Bloomington served as the judge for Saturday’s show. He has been judging horses for a number of years, but this was the first year he has judged at the Jackson County Fair.

There are a number of things he looks for depending on what class he is judging.

“When it’s a halter class, you’re looking at structure and muscling,” he said. “And even at that, you’re looking at it differently when it comes to mares and geldings.”

In English classes, he is looking for horses that have a finesse to them as contestants ride them through the arena.

“I’m really looking for horses that just flow and look almost like they’re floating on the ground,” he said.

In Western, Clark said he is looking for a slower pace than in English. “Just looking for correction of gaits and such,” he said.

There are also categories where Clark is examining the relationship contestants have with their horses and their ability to show the horse effectively.

“We’re really looking at the exhibitor’s ability to present the horse in showmanship and we’re kind of looking for the same in horsemanship,” he said. “Just that we are looking at their ability to ride the horse.”

Clark said he gets to travel around and judge a number of horse shows throughout Indiana and said he was impressed with what Jackson County had to offer.

“They’re some pretty good stock here,” he said. “There were a couple of mares here that I really liked and a few of the geldings were really good too, and the showmanship went really well.”

Now that the horse show is over, Coomer has other things to look forward to in anticipation of the week-long fair.

“My favorite part of the fair is the food,” she said.