Horses help power Belleville Homecoming
Cailee Ewing, 10, of Parkersburg competes in the Belleville Homecoming horse show. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Sarah Life, 4, and her mother, Julia Life, of Mineral Wells attend Sarah’s first showing ever at Belleville Homecoming. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Dustin Howard of Lower Salem, Ohio pulled approximately 3,500 pounds of concrete slabs with his tractor to win the tug tractor contest at Belleville Homecoming. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Jonathan Walker of Sandyville, W.Va., exits the show ring on his horse, Stetson. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Cailee Ewing, 10, of Parkersburg competes in the Belleville Homecoming horse show. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Sarah Life, 4, and her mother, Julia Life, of Mineral Wells attend Sarah’s first showing ever at Belleville Homecoming. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Dustin Howard of Lower Salem, Ohio pulled approximately 3,500 pounds of concrete slabs with his tractor to win the tug tractor contest at Belleville Homecoming. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Jonathan Walker of Sandyville, W.Va., exits the show ring on his horse, Stetson. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Trending
BELLEVILLE -- A horse show and tractor tug contest were among the activities occurring at Belleville Homecoming Festival on Saturday.
At 1 p.m., horse riders of all classes and disciplines were invited to participate in the horse show.
"It's a fun show we put on every year," Mary Ann Smith of Riding in Faith out of Elizabeth, W.Va. "We welcome all ages. Some classes are open and others are age specific."
Smith watched the participants and spoke instructions through a microphone. She said an outside judge comes to watch contestants, and the top three participants in each contest are awarded a ribbon.
Smith said individuals came from several local counties.
"We have participants from Wood, Wirt, Ritchie, Tyler and Calhoun counties. Sometimes this is the only show they come to," she said.
One local child made her debut at the homecoming show. Sarah Life, 4, competed in three events and placed first in the Pony Halter.
Life's mother Julia said Sarah enjoyed her first show.
"She kept telling me how much fun she was having," Julia Life said.
Another parent, Cody Ewing of Parkersburg, watched his daughter Cailee, 10.
"We haven't been to the Belleville Homecoming before, but we've done other Riding in Faith shows," he said. "This is her first year showing horses".
Another contest that took place was tug tractor pulling. Concrete slabs are placed on a sled and a tractor pulls them.
"The objective is to pull the most weight the furthest," Ed Powell, contest organizer said.
Tractors are weighed and separated into different classes from 3,500 to 7,500 pounds. Dustin Howard of Lower Salem, Ohio won the 7,500 pound class by pulling 3,500 pounds of concrete 15 feet.
"It's something I like to do in my spare time," he said.
Kristen Hainkel can be reached at khainkel@newsandsentinel.com