FAIRLEA, WV (WVNS)-- A day in the life of a draft horse exhibitor at the State Fair of West Virginia begins long before the gates open. A hard 10 day run that ranch owners say is worth every minute of the grueling work.
While visitors can see horses up close, pet them, and learn where they come from, for owners it's all about the competitions and the care from before sun up to long after sun down. Feeding, washing, cleaning, dressing, and show ready hairdo's, it can be exhausting for owners. Stephani Harris is a draft horse exhibitor at the 100th year of the State Fair.
"Today we're in the barn about 630 in the morning, feeding horses, cleaning stalls, making sure everybody's good to go and got their hay in their water. On show day, it takes us about three and a half to 4 hours to get th