A happy young participant in the Cloverbud horse and pony show for kids ages 5 through 8 at the Montcalm County Fair on Monday evening. — DN Photo | Tim McAllister MONTCALM TOWNSHIP — The 4-H Cloverbud program was created for kids between the ages of 5 and 8 who have spent their lives observing the older humans in their orbit have all kinds of fun raising and playing with animals. They might be a little too young or small to handle the work involved in many 4-H projects, but they have a strong desire to join their friends and family members in competition at the fair.
This year, many Cloverbuds participated in a horse and pony show in the horse arena Monday evening and showed off their budding showmanship skills to a huge, quite impressed crowd. “ These little guys only show today,” pointed out 4-H Horse Superintendent Laurie Magoon. “Their brothers, their sisters, their cousins, their friends, their family and all the other 4-H members that they look up to are showing all week.
The parents are allowed to be in there with them, or whoever they choose, and it’s just a lot of fun for these kids.” Horse Leaders President Tanya Badge said she “absolutely loves” the event. “ The little kids get so excited about coming in and being able to do what the big kids do,” Badge said.
“They just love it. They’re our future, so we have to get these kids excited to continue to want to show with us.” Magoon said she “grew up at the fair” – she used to be a 4-.
