DAYTON, Ohio--The Dayton Horse Show, known for its quaint setting, warm crowd and long-standing tradition of the Shrine Mounted Patrol, was held July 30 - Aug. 3, 2002 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in the center of downtown Dayton.
Various breeds, including American Saddlebreds, Morgans, Roadsters, Hackney and Harness Ponies and Arabians came together to celebrate the show, helping entry numbers make a 30 percent jump from last year.
"Our numbers greatly increased this year and we're on the road to increasing those numbers even more next year, said Evette Moody, who played a major role in pulling this horse show together.
Moody also claimed that the Morgan people, who are really starting to turn out, are helping the show tremendously as well.
This year, exhibitors again saw great competition, providing many with one last stop before Louisville. The very popular show grounds had a couple of changes this year...one being a track that is nearly 60 feet wider. Other changes this year included the party and activities structure. In the past, the horse show put on one big party but this year the committee planned a party or event for each day of the show. Another change this year was the three-judge panel which, according to Moody, may or may not continue for next year.
Exhibitors always welcome changes, but what keeps them coming back is its ambiance...that never changes. This show is truly one that all who attend enjoy and this is likely due to the hard work and dedication that this outstanding show staff put forth.
Led by Evette Moody , the show seems to put great emphasis on making this horse show pleasurable. There are activities and events each night after the show that take the strain off the sometimes tense and serious hard work that takes place during competition.
After Thursday evening’s session, the show put on a Karoke Party where several exhibitors, including trainers, got down and showed off their singing talents. Several barns participated in Friday night’s Progressive Party. The show provided exhibitors with a map of all the barns participating and upon arriving exhibitors could find an array of food and drinks at each barn.
Another great thing that keeps people coming to this show and loving every minute of it is the infield. You can shop around, grab a bite to eat or stop by the photo booth and not miss a minute of the action going on inside the ring.
You wouldn’t want to miss the action inside the ring at Dayton. Class after class featured exhibitors at the top of their game. For many, Dayton is one final practice stop for Ohio barns like Memory Lane, Cape Cod, Richlon and L’Ambiance, to name a few, before Louisville. In addition to the Ohio crowd, several barns travel from nearby states like Kentucky and Indiana to catch a glimpse of the Dayton experience.
This year, one of those Kentucky barns, Clouse Stables, enjoyed a banner week at Dayton. It’s not all too often that one barn captures both the Three-Gaited Stake as well as the climactic Five-Gaited Stake in one night. However, on Saturday night horse enthusiasts watched Clark Clouse make two big victory passes, taking home both the watk-trot and gaited stake tricolors.
The gaited stake concluded the show Saturday evening. It was a full class and everyone in there was fresh and ready to go. Clark Clouse and Tonight Preferred made a grand performance for owner Alice Kegan and racked their way out as champions. Heirs Heiress and Lindsay Lavery made an extremely competitive performance, after winning the ladies class earlier in the week, for a reserve championship for Gara Graham.
The Amateur Five-Gaited Championship came to a head with five solid entries vying for the tricolor. The announcer called the sharp duo of Grand Rambler and Karen Carver into the winner’s circle for the tltle. They are trained by Clouse Stables. The reserve call came for Deceptive Odds and Martha Cox-Haraf of Swartz Creek, Mich.
Concluding their sweep in the five-gaited division, Mark Webster and Clark Clouse directed a very powerful yet elegant Stylin’ and Alexandra Harper to the Junior Exhibitor Five-Gaited Stake. Putting forth great effort for reserve was Benjamin Warner aboard Time For Champagne for Dr. Fernando Jara.
The walk-trot stake showcased six fine entries trotting their way onto the track, ready to strut their stuff for the filled grandstands. All three judges had their hands full in this class as pass after pass captured horse after horse in top form. This time, Clark Clouse rode Beverly Nance’s very bright mare, Lady Lenair to the tricolor victory pass. Steve Demjen, who also enjoyed a successful week at Dayton for Steve Demjen Stables at Memory Lane Farm, trotted out reserve aboard Caramac’s Norma Rae.
Last year at Dayton, Heir Popper and Ryan Stodd made their debut performance to capture the Amateur Three-Gaited Grand Championship. This year was no different as the crowd pleasing pair trotted out as champions for the L’Ambiance team headed by Chris and Chad Reiser. The well-known S.S. Lies and Alibis with Sharla Deuchle settled in for second. This is another top team from Richlon.