The Bureau’s Barn, on highway 64 in Verner, hosted its first annual Fall Fair August 20 and 21. The Saturday featured a series of equestrian competitions in which students could show off what they learned. The following day were Dressage Tests and award presentations. The event drew approximately 300 people over the course of the weekend.
“It’s a competition, but it’s more of a showcase than a competition,” explained Sabrina Bradley, whose son Trey competed and won several awards during the event. The weekend truly served to show off local riding talent, some as young as 6 and up to 15 years old, all trained by Drew Bureau at the centre. For many of them, and their horses, this was their first time competing. “All the horses are rescues and horses that she’s trained herself. It was very new for the horses as well as the students,” Bradley commented.
“I was really nervous at first. When I got on my horse, I was just excited to be in my first show. Drew made sure I was ready, and I just focused on our training and me and my horse. It was the best day of my life,” beamed 9-year-old Trey Bradley, who only started training with the Bureaus in May of this year. “There were nerves all around, but all the kids pulled through, they did really great,” added his mother.
Each rider was awarded a ribbon based on their performance. Most of them received 4 to 5 ribbons from competing in anywhere between 5 and 7 classes during the two days. Drew Bureau confirmed that 42 ribbons were presented and participants also got to choose take-home prizes from a prize table. “They got to accumulate a pile of tickets by the end of the day, and got to put their tickets towards a prize they wanted.”
