Posted on 07/19/2008 4:08:30 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Waukesha, WI - Marissa Arndt had only a few weeks this summer to work with Lucy, her Jersey cow, before the Waukesha County Fair started.
Marissa Arndt, 17, shares a laugh with friend Evan Bremberger, 17, who has helped her prepare to show her cow at the Waukesha County Fair.
It’s been a busy summer for the Arrowhead senior, with camp and a one-month trip to New Jersey to train with her new Seeing Eye dog, Fray.
Arndt, 17, was diagnosed at age 3 with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that has destroyed her peripheral vision. She is legally blind. But with the help of a friend and fellow classmate, she’ll be showing Lucy today at the Waukesha County Fair for the second year in a row.
“Working with Lucy and working with the kids here, it’s just a lot of fun,” Arndt said.
Arndt and Evan Bremberger, 17, met when they were about 11, and ever since, he’s been sharing his love of 4-H. His mom grew up on a dairy farm, and he’s been showing cows with the Brookfield Blazers for several years now. Arndt used to ask Bremberger about the cows and attended when he showed at the State Fair. Then, last year, he asked her if she’d like to show one of his cows at the Waukesha County Fair with his help.
Arndt sees less than 5% of what an average person sees, said her mom, Luanne Arndt. With no peripheral vision, it’s like looking through a straw. That keeps her from seeing the judge in the ring and his or her hand signals.
When Arndt shows, Bremberger is also in the ring, walking with her, giving her directions and letting her know where the judge is. The Hartland teenagers practiced for hours and hours last year to get comfortable with Bremberger telling Arndt which way to guide the cow. What made things harder is that handlers walk backward, he said.
Bremberger also helped Arndt break in Lucy, which Arndt said was no easy task.
“They don’t like to be led,” Arndt said. “You put on the halter and they don’t move and you pull and pull.”
“With the animal, it’s all trust,” Bremberger said. “Once they feel that trust, it’ll be better.”
Luanne Arndt said Bremberger was a great teacher for her daughter.
“Evan is just a natural leader,” Luanne Arndt said.
This year’s fair is also Marissa Arndt’s first with her guide dog, a golden retriever-lab mix.
Lucy doesn’t like dogs, so when Arndt works with the cow, she has to make sure Fray stays out of trouble and out of the way. Fray won’t come into the show ring.
Even though Arndt and Bremberger work together as a team in the ring, there’s still some friendly competition between them since they’re both showing animals.
Last year, Arndt showed two cows, including Lucy, and ranked in the top seven at the end of the day in points earned, winning champion and champion reserve ribbons along the way.
Bremberger didn’t do as well last year, but he joked Friday, “I have my good cows this year.”
Marissa Arndt, 17, of Hartland walks Friday with her Seeing Eye dog, Fray, at the Waukesha County Fair. Arndt, who was diagnosed at the age of 3 with retinitis pigmentosa, which destroyed her peripheral vision, learned from a friend about handling cows in competition. She'll show Lucy, a Jersey cow, Saturday at the fair.
Arndt holds her cow, Lucy.
Nice story. I hope she/they win.
I think she/they have already won.
Me too.
Wisconsin county fairs are such an encouraging exposition of America's heartland values!
“Wisconsin county fairs are such an encouraging exposition of America’s heartland values!”
Amen to that!
Husband and I went to our County Fair on Thursday. We spend more time in the animal barns then anywhere else.
Those kids work hard, and are very creative. The stalls were all decorated to the n-th degree. They are very proud of their work and deservedly so! :)
You said the Magic Word Of The Day...’Dairy Queen!’ :)
Life is tough in the dairy state!
BTTT
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