Cody would just not cooperate.

The young quarab gelding was acting a bit too spunky under rider Kelsie Fitzpatrick.

Fitpatrick, though, was too seasoned in the saddle to be shaken. The 18-year-old, a senior member of the Knightriders 4-H Horse Club, was practicing with her fellow club members in the Island County Fairgrounds horse arena for the Western Games Show. The club will host the event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow at the fairgrounds.

Fitzpatrick, who graduated from South Whidbey High School in June, has practically grown up on a horse and has been gaming for the past seven years. It’s 4-H that helps prepare the Knightrider girls (and the occasional boy or two) for the various horse events, which include Western-style gaming shows and English-style performance shows.

Fitzpatrick simplified the distinction.

“With performance shows it’s more about going slow, and game shows are all about the race against the clock,” she explained.

She prefers speed herself. In the last games, Fitzpatrick took first place in the two-barrel race with a time of 8.2 seconds.

Cody is not the horse she usually rides. “He’s a little wild,” she said.

Much to her surprise, Cody brought a hoof to his ear and gave it a good scratch.

“Did you see that,” Fitzpatrick shouted. “That never happens. I’ve seen a horse do that only one other time in my life.”

She gave Cody a loving pat and helped him scratch.

It seemed to do the trick, as Fitzpatrick started taking Cody through his paces without a trace of his earlier fussiness.

Usually, Fitzpatrick rides her own horse, a beloved 17-year-old quarterhorse called Powell’s Dynamo, or P.D. for short.

P.D. is continually trying to impress her, though he hasn’t tried the hoof-behind-the-ear trick yet.

“Horses are like land dolphins. They have an attitude, and I can read the expression on his face,” she said.

Nearby, fellow Knightrider Kara Mathews, 13, was saddled on Red, a 3-year-old quarterhorse who she rides for gaming events.

Mathews said she enjoys jumping and cart driving best, and has two other horses, one named Zeus, who she rides for the specific patterned exercises of performance shows, and a miniature palomino named Sugar who pulls her race cart.

Red, she said, bucked her a bunch of times, but now they have an understanding.

“I’m not afraid of him anymore,” Mathews said.

“He’ll prick up his ears when he sees me now, and follows me everywhere like a puppy.”

The girls show an affinity toward their horses that reveals not only an affectionate bond for a pet but the discipline that is required to guide a 1,000-pound animal gently and efficiently through walk, trot, lope and spin, and other exercises.

At the fairgrounds, the Knightriders will host about seven events for the games show.

The Western rider must take the horse through patterns holding the reins with one hand while performing feats, such as in the two-barrel flags event.

Riders race around barrels 101 feet apart, grabbing a flag with one hand while racing back to a second barrel to beat the clock. It looks hard, but these girls manage to combine grace and speed.

Mathews said riding in general is a therapeutic exercise for her.

“You don’t have to think about anything else. It’s calming,” she said.

Fitzpatrick, the speedster, likes the excitement of moving fast.

“I’ve always just loved it. It’s a rush running home after you snatched that flag,” she said.

The girls have been training for years under the tutelage of 4-H Horse leader Marilyn Gabelein.

Gabelein brought her two adult daughters, Elise and Emily, up through the ranks of 4-H Horse since they were 3 and 4, and she’ll celebrate 25 years of leadership this fall.

“One of my daughters asked me recently, ‘So, mom, when are you going to quit doing this?’” Gabelein said with a smile.

“But I’m on the fair board, and this year I’m the supervisor of the campgrounds. It’s kind of what I do,” she added.

Indeed, Gabelein has done myriad jobs at 4-H and for the Island County Fair Association through the years, in addition to raising her family, helping to run the family farm, maintaining the books for her husband’s company, working for the South Whidbey School District’s food program, and owning a restaurant for which she did all the cooking, back in the day.

She’s a busy lady with an easy-going demeanor well-suited to leadership and a dedication that won’t quit.

Presently, her eyes were on the arena, watching the Knightriders run the horses through their paces for the upcoming show.

Gabelein said the Knightriders start the season in October and are taught to keep a detailed record of everything they do and learn in 4-H.

In March, they prepare a presentation for an audience of students at Langley Middle School, and they’re judged on their public-speaking skills.

The program is designed to develop leadership, initiative, self-reliance and sportsmanship.

The Knightriders also learn the responsibilities of managing a horse safely, along with the business of breeding, raising and training horses.

This year, Fitzpatrick is the president of the club. She said community service is an important part of being a 4-H member.

The Knightriders hold food drives, help out at the senior centers and at the annual Country Christmas show at the fairgrounds. They baked pies for the Mobile Turkey Unit for Thanksgiving and are involved each year in the Toys for Tots program.

And, of course, the Knightriders are proud to take their place in the Island County Fair Parade each August, before performing during the fair in the horse arena.

Gabelein said the club has at least one event each month.

“If you look at the combination of what they do, in the end you have a well-rounded citizen,” Gabelein said.

In her 25 years of leadership, Gabelein has produced five “4-H’ers of the Year,” a prestigious award that an Island County 4-H club member can win after being judged on an essay, interviews and their performance as a club member.

The winner represents 4-H in various parades throughout Island County during the year.

There are currently about 400 4-H members in various programs throughout Island County.

Gabelein said most horse- club members stay for the 10- to 12-year duration.

“I keep expecting the numbers to go down but I have four new 4-H’ers this year,” she said.

Gabelein said she ends up with mostly girls after the boys discover bicycles or motorcycles.

“I tell them, you guys are dumb if you’re not in 4-H, because that’s where all the girls are,” she said.

Admission to watch the Western Games Show is free and everyone is welcome.