KIMBALL -- A few of the champions from the Kimball-Banner County Fair Horse Show this week are sharing what they love about ranching and how they will continue it throughout their lives.

Giorgetta Varra showed her 3–year-old mare named Annie in the 4-H Horse Show on Wednesday. 

She’s been training her horse for just under a year, which she says came with a lot of challenges, but overall, the showing went well.

“There were a lot of challenges that came up as the day progressed, but she did really good and I'm really happy about it,” she said. 

Varra received seven placings of Reserve Champion, one being Overall Performance Senior Reserve Champion. 

Varra is 15 years old and has been around horses and cattle since before she could walk. 

“We own a cow/calf operation north of Kimball, so horses are a big part of our life, we use them every day on the ranch more as a tool but also as a companion,” she said. 

Varra adds that with ranch life comes a lot of patience. 

“There is definitely patience you learn from ranch life, and I can apply it in the show ring by being able to roll with the punches,” she said. 

Varra plans to continue in the agriculture industry into adulthood. 

“After school, I would love to come back and train horses, work on the ranch, kind of keep the family legacy going,” she said. “I love being able to get a horse and help it improve and learn different things; it‘s really fun.” 

Eighteen-year-old Taylor Whitney says she was really happy with how the horse show went for her.  

She received five placings of Grand Champion, one being Overall Performance Senior Grand Champion. She also received one Reserve Champion title. 

Whitney showed her 6-year-old mare named Trixie, who she started training as a yearling. 

“She’s one of my favorite horses that I have, she’s really fun to ride.” 

Whitney plans to continue ranching and training horses for the rest of her life. 

“I have my own cows that I run on the ranch, and I train all of my own horses,” she said. “I’ve been training horses since I was 11 when I got my first yearling, and I’ve been running cows for a long time too. 

Whitney says she loves everything about being around animals and being able to spend time out on the ranch taking care of her animals. 

Whitney echoes Varra in that ranching teaches a lot about patience. 

“Ever since I started training horses, I’ve gotten a lot more patient and have learned how to handle a lot more things,” she said. 

Fourteen-year-old Karleigh Lukassen is in her early years of riding and training horses. She started riding in 2020 and got her first two horses in 2022. She is currently training a yearling. 

Lukassen showed her 23-year-old gelding named Boon, which she received a red ribbon for, but she says she is still happy with the placing considering that all the other horses were younger.  

Lukassen received two placings of Grand Champion and two placings of Reserve Champion, one being Overall Performance Intermediate Reserve Champion. 

“I'm just overall grateful that I got to show my horse and got the places that I got,” she said. “For my showmanship, I was really emotional about it because that was my uncle’s sponsorship, so I was really happy that I got that.” 

Lukassen said her family has a mix of cows and horses, then she shows her aunt’s lamb. 

“I plan to stay in 4-H for as long as I can and show cattle and horses; I really like showing in general and getting my name out there,” she said. “As of right now, I'm planning on going to school to be a paramedic, but I’ll still rodeo and help my little cousins at the fair.” 

Raising cattle and training horses takes a lot of hard work and patience, she said. 

“If you put in the work and hours, it will definitely pay off later in life,” she said.