My experience in 4-H and with the Fair started back in 1988. My first horse was our Morgan gelding, Magnum, (a “small but mighty” horse who barely stood taller than a pony). He was my “Man from Snowy River” horse, and we rode all over the Cupertino Foothills bareback, off-trail and up and down hills, swam Garrod’s pond, and generally just loved life together. I eventually outgrew him and got my paint “Filly”, (Solid Sugar QT) and she and I showed everything over the next 5 years in 4-H – Showmanship, Western, English, and Gymkhana. She took me all the way to the top of State Fair, and we still have that great old girl at 32 and going strong!
During those years I was often “drafted” by the 4-H County Horse Committee Chairperson and SCC Fair Horse Show Manager (my mom!), and so OFTEN assisted with the local 4-H and County Fair shows, including the building and maintenance of event equipment and set up and take down for countless shows. As a Senior I co-taught Horse Showmanship Horse Clinics to Junior Members and generally helped the Santa Clara County Horse Committee wherever needed as a Youth. I started my construction career in High School, working for a friend’s dad’s construction company. Having learned the heavy equipment, I was permitted to run the Loader, Water truck and tractor when the old horse arenas needed working in the weeks prior to the SCC Fair for many years in the 90’s. I also served as Vice-President of the Junior Fair Board and helped conduct School Tours of local Elementary School kids for several Fairs at that time as well. I really looked forward to the week at Fair every year – it was like a Summer Horse Camp – and I have many lifelong friends made during those years.
I now own my own construction company and have 3 kids and would really like them to have a similar experience to what I had as a kid. My daughter, Lacey has her first horse now and is really excited about it. I am dedicated to working hard to support the Fair and hopefully restore it to the great event it used to be before it fell on harder times. I have joined the Clover Foundation with that goal in mind – to support the Ag Youth of our county and the Fair as well. I will do my level best to do what I can to move both forward to greater success.