07/26/2026
Warning: LONG post ahead… and an even longer photo dump from Thursday-Saturday!
Now that the dust has settled (and we’ve finally caught up on a little sleep 😅), I just want to say how incredibly proud I am of every single one of our riders. Whether you brought home ribbons, faced a fear, tried something new, or just kept showing up with a smile, you should all be so proud of yourselves. Watching the growth, sportsmanship, friendships, and confidence this week is what it’s all about.
Fair week is exhausting… but it’s also one of my favorite weeks of the year because of the amazing people I’m surrounded by.
First, thank you to all of our parents. You all are truly the best. From using your own trailers to get all of the horses to the fair in one trip, loading grain, setting up tents, helping every kid (not just your own), cheering everyone on, running errands, and doing a hundred things behind the scenes… the list could honestly go on forever. None of this happens without you, and I appreciate every single one of you more than you know.
A special thank you to Courtney and Jenna for donating prizes and helping make our fun show even more special for the kids!
Brooklyn, thank you for being there every single day, usually before we even started feeding! From helping lunge horses, clipping, glittering, hoof blacking, helping with the fun show, encouraging the kids, and simply being a bright, positive light all week… you made such a difference. Your kindness and support never go unnoticed.
Colin, thank you for helping load hay, getting our equipment and hay trailer to the fairgrounds, hauling the Ranger over, and always being willing to jump in wherever needed. You’re such a good sport about being teased by an entire barn full of girls 😂 and you’re always encouraging the kids. This year you also stepped in to help with Color Guard all week, and I’m hoping you’ll officially be our co-coach next year! I still owe you payback for orchestrating that surprise Silly String attack from the Color Guard girls… but I appreciate you always making things fun!
A huge thank you to Bobby and Natalie for letting us use your camper again this year. I appreciate it more than you know. Having a place to cool off, take a breather, and still be close to the horses is such a blessing during fair week.
Thank you to Kenley and KJ with Bones Pet Sitting for taking care of the barn on our busiest fair days. I never have to worry about a thing when you’re there, and that peace of mind is priceless. If anyone is looking for a pet or stable sitter, I recommend them 100%!
Thank you to Tim for helping get Daphne’s stall set up and for getting the Ranger back home. Every little bit of help makes a huge difference.
Last but certainly not least… a huge thank you to Gabi and Mitch for taking care of my girl, Chilli, all week! ❤️ Anyone who knows Chilli knows she’s quite the personality and keeping up with her is no small job. Thank you for loving and spoiling her while I was busy at the fair and for giving me one less thing to worry about. It means more than you’ll ever know.
It truly takes an army to pull off a week like this, and I honestly believe I have the very best army there is. ❤️
Thank you to everyone who helped, supported, cheered, laughed, cried, and made memories with us this week.
That’s a wrap on the Vanderburgh County Fair 2026! Until next year… 🤠🐴🍀
