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Mary Sibert and her horse Petey sprint toward the finish during a barrel race competition at the Mercer County Fair's Special Olympics Western Show on Monday morning.
CELINA - Despite gray skies and rain showers outside, Special Olympics athletes shined bright Monday at the Mercer County Fair Special Olympics Western Show in the Grand Event Center.
For the third year, 14 of the Mercer County Special Olympics equestrian athletes showcased their skills in a range of events at the fair: trail, showmanship, barrels and equitation.
Mercer County Special Olympics Coordinator Sam Fledderjohann said the event serves as a finale to their season, which kicks off in April.
"We try to reserve this for our folks who have higher needs. It gives them an outlet, an athletic outlet that they might not have otherwise. We have four different coaches and the families kind of work with the coach that works best with their situation," Fledderjohann said. "They have a private lesson that they do usually four times a month. Ohio Special Olympics dropped equestrian, but we saw the value that it brought to our athletes, so we decided not to drop it as a local program. We don't have a state tournament anymore, so we're using this fair to (finish the year)."
Max Shaffer and his horse Xena compete in the equitation competition at the Mercer County Fair's Special Olympics Western Show on Monday morning.
Unlike the fair's Share the Ring Showmanship event, the Special Olympics equestrian show is only available for equestrian athletes, she added.
There are four coaches involved in Mercer County Special Olympics' equestrian program: Vivian Branstetter, Natalie Rider, Darcy Judy and Emily Hay. The horses used are provided by the coaches, who are also required to get a certification from the state.
Equine-assisted activities can benefit individuals with a wide range of challenges, be it cognitive, physical, emotional, social or a combination thereof, according to the Helen Woodward Animal Center.
Those benefits include better concentration and short-term memory; improved self-confidence; a stronger sense of independence; and enhanced verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
"We have athletes for whom this (program) has become sewn into (the fabric of) their life. Academically you see improvement, you see sleep improvement, you see focus improvement," Fledderjohann said. "This is also another one of the sports that we have that no one's going, 'Oh, I don't want to go to my lesson today.' They look forward to it."
Taylor Brunswick and her horse Jade navigate through obstacles in the trail competition at the Mercer County Fair's Special Olympics Western Show on Monday morning.
Taylor Brunswick, 29, Celina, is one of those athletes.
Her aunt Lisa Brunswick said she looks forward to seeing her horse Jade all week.
"She's gained self-confidence. She's been able to see how many people support her through this because they show up to see her," Lisa Brunswick said. "Whenever she's around the horse, she's just calm. It's really truly therapy for her to just be around the horse. It just calms her. Taylor has done Special Olympics bowling, golf, lifting, basketball, cheer. Three years ago when they said that they were going to offer equestrian, she would give up all of that - she would give up her job at Dunham's, her job at The Willow - which she loves all these things. She would give up everything to do Special Olympics equestrian. It's her thing."
Taylor Brunswick participated in all four of the events in Monday's show.
"The best thing about it is riding her and being with her and getting to know her," she said about Jade between events. "I love her. She is such a good horse. … My favorite thing (about the sport) is is just being with Jade, and being with Darcy, and everybody else."
Mercer County has more than 100 athletes aged 12-60 involved in various Special Olympic sports, such as unified cheer, equestrian, cheer, basketball and unified golf.
