Amador County – Ione horse trainer Ron Emmons repeated recently as champion of the Magnificent 7 All Around Stock Horse Championship at the Cal Expo, and now hopes to help the Amador County Fair.

Emmons said it was his second win in a row, third all-time for the National Reined Cow-Horse Association event, which annually features more than a dozen of the county’s top riders from all across America for a one-day riding competition, with one horse and one rider, in four events of herd work, rein work, steer stopping, and fence work.

Emmons said the field makes preliminary rides on Thursday, and the top seven ride in the finals, giving it the name, Magnificent 7. Emmons won his second consecutive championship riding Olena Oak, a 9-year-old quarterhorse stud stallion. He now has won $235,000 riding Olena Oak, whose nickname is Ernie.

He has trained Ernie since he was 3 years old, and specifically as a Reined Cow-Horse, since he was 4. Emmons has been one of the top money earners for the last several years in the Reined Cow-Horse Association, and has been in the top 20 since he has been a member. He strictly focused on Cow Horses in 2004.

He has an assistant, and keeps about 20 horses in training at his ranch on Highway 88 outside Ione. He said “20 is a good number for us to keep up with.” He also trains seven “non-professional” riders.

Stephanie McNair, a local developer, said Emmons’ training is what drew her to Amador County, and she has been put in charge of trying to get a stampede of steers to run through Plymouth, under the direction of the champion Cow-Horse rider and Ernie. Plymouth City Manager Jeff Gardner wanted to begin running steers down Main Street on the 4th of July, to promote the city of Plymouth, and the Amador County Fair, whose 2011 theme is Dancing With the Steers.

Emmons said he would let McNair handle the politics, and he “darn sure” would be able to supply some stock and handlers. The dates are not set, but Emmons suggested having it Sunday before the fair. McNair said it could also include fair entry livestock, and maybe even the Destruction Derby cars.

McNair said Plymouth embraced being a small town with its new General Plan, and she would “like to see more of that type of event there,” to “showcase ranching and farming,” to emulate successful county fairs in Santa Barbara and Paso Robles, sustained by year-round productions.

Emmons said it may be too late for a parade this year, but he will support it and the fair, and Plymouth. McNair said “we need to capture the larger group of people who appreciate the down-home smallness of this fair.” She said a “running of the steers” may be just the thing to help.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.