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The new Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan has a program for first time homeowners.  This plan for 2009 requires the following:

• Buyers must NOT have owned a home within the past 3 years to qualify as a First Time Homeowner
• Purchase must be between Jan 1, 2009 and Nov 30, 2009.
• Buyers must make less than $75,000 per year or $150,000 per couple.
• Buyers must live in the home for at least three years or they will be required to pay back the credit.

I hope I have encouraged you to come out to the fair this week. Today, Tuesday are the following events:

Horses and Ponies Over Fences

Dressage in the back ring…this is like ballet for horses where the movement is beautiful and one person is judged at a time. Lovely to see done well and we do have some good Dressage Barns in this area.

4:00 - Creative Vegetable & Fruit Competition

Riding on the rail competition for Suitability for Dressage in the evening

Versatility Classes for horses - Believe it or not the riders start in one seat, English or Western and then have to redress and retack the horse with 2 helpers on hand. They also compete in one more class which maybe a speed class. The score for all three events are added together and the top rider/horse combo are the winners. There is more screaming and yelling at this class than most and it can run late into the night. Many horse classes are a bit like golf where the crowd keeps very quiet. Maybe that’s why I like this class you get to yell and it feels like a real achievement just to be old enough to enter the class (you must wait until you are 14…feels like forever when you start at fair as an 8 year old).

Libby and Katie Thomshany thank you for all you have done for 4H through the years and all kids who love horses today because of you two! Thank you.

Ann Arbor area has a huge horse community and there are horse properties in all the communities in every direction: Ypsilanti and east, Saline & Milan and south, Dexter & Chelsea and west and South Lyon and Whitmore Lake to the north.

One of the best parts of being a horsey community is the Therapeutic Riding Inc and we have a few of these facilities. There is a Therapeutic Riding, Inc located at 4715 East Joy Road and they are having a used tack sale April 3, 2008 11:00 to 4:00.

Please attend if you are looking for anything and if you need to empty your barn of some items consider donating to this great cause. It is tax deductible.