The Kansas State fair was held Sept. 8-19 and junior Brynn McCracken not only competed in it, but placed as well.

Brynn went to the fair with her horses and rode in five events: trail, showmanship, hunter under saddle, horsemanship and western pleasure.

In showmanship, she received the reserved champion title along with placing 4th in horsemanship and 6th in western pleasure. She was a finalist in all of her other events.

“Brynn is a strong competitor. She is polished and confident, which gives her a clear edge over others in her age group,” said Brynn’s mother, Sheri McCracken.

Brynn was happy with how she did but is always looking for ways to get better.

“I think that I did well, but there’s always room for improvement,” Brynn said. “I just bought a new horse and we’re still figuring things out.”

Brynn trains about twice a week and her horse trains 3-5 months a year. She has devoted a lot of her free time to prepare for future competitions.

“During the show season, she practices several times per week or daily depending on the upcoming event,” Sheri said. “Brynn spends countless hours preparing to show her horse in local, state, or national competitions.”

With all of this practice, Brynn has many goals in her horse riding career, such as qualifying for the 2017 American Quarter Horse Association Youth World Show in Oklahoma.

As well as this, she strives to develop life skills through riding.

“My long term goal in my horse riding career is to be able to grow as a rider and a person by learning and experiencing new things and challenges,” Brynn said.

She truly enjoys riding and is looking forward to getting to spend more time with her horse.

“My favorite part about horses is being able to work with an animal to do one task together,” Brynn said. “It creates a bond that is really cool and unlike anything else.”