Barrel Racing at the Orleans County Fairgrounds

When I visited the Orleans County Fairgrounds in Barton, Vermont, over Memorial Day weekend, I expected to photograph horse pulls, tractors, and the familiar sights of a rural fairgrounds gathering.

What I didn’t expect was to find myself standing along the rail watching pole and barrel competition for the first time.

Pole and Barrel Racing at the Orleans County Fairgrounds

The event moves fast. Riders and horses weave through poles or carve tight turns around barrels, racing against the clock while trying to avoid mistakes that add precious seconds to their time.

Among the competitors was Emmah Davis of Duxbury, Vermont. Watching from the sidelines, it quickly became clear that these runs are about much more than speed. Horse and rider have to trust each other completely. Every turn, every shift of weight, and every cue happens in a matter of moments.

That competition was just one part of a much larger Memorial Day weekend at the Orleans County Fairgrounds, where horse events, tractors, livestock, and other activities brought families and neighbors together in Barton.

But for these photographs, I wanted to stay with one rider.

This series follows one of Emmah’s runs—from the preparation and concentration before she enters the course, through the dust and motion of competition, and finally to the smile afterward.

It was my first opportunity to photograph this kind of equestrian competition, and it gave me a new appreciation for the partnership between horse and rider. The clock records the result, but it can’t measure the trust, communication, and countless small decisions that make the run possible.

Sometimes the most interesting part of a community event is discovering something you’ve never seen before.