Each year, organizers pick ‘ambassador’ animals to embody the spirit of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. This time, it is Pacey and Dawson, two half-brother alpacas raised by the Stoltz family of Rockwood, Ont., east of Guelph.
Only a select few get to leave with the red, white and blue championship ribbons from the Royal, which has been running since 1922. Photographer Christopher Wahl has fond memories of attending the event as a child.
This Nubian goat from Port Perry, Ont., is five years old. Nubians, known for their hardiness in cold climates, produce a high-fat milk valued by cheese makers.
Adrian Goddard, a 19-year-old from Earlton, Ont., specializes in cattle. As of July, Ontario had more than 1.6 million cattle, more than any province except Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Jessica Sickinger of Toronto and her nine-year-old horse, Remember When, won in this year’s adult amateur jumping competition. For Ontario riders, the Royal is one of the highlights of the annual circuit.
Rodeo is another staple of the fair. Cowboy Ross Millar from Millarville, Ont., runs an entertainment group for equine events, and has been producing rodeos here for more than 20 years.
This Holstein dairy cow from Russell, Ont., has just had a haircut. Hundreds of cows are judged at the fair each year, based on milking performance, strength, udder and bone structure. It was a cattleman, W.A. Dryden, who led the group that started the fair in 1922.
Thor the miniature donkey is a 20-year-old rescue from Triple C Farm near Hamilton, a veteran of petting zoos and specialized work with people with developmental disabilities. The Royal plays hosts to many rescue groups for donkeys, horses and other animals.
Show presenters like Liam Kivits, 15, guide cattle around the ring as judges make their decisions. The teen from Dalkeith, Ont., says farming is what he does best.
Calley Thaxter co-owns a farm in Manilla, Ont., whose cattle placed in the top five. Last year the Thaxters, who had only recently entered the beef business, won Supreme Female for all breeds.
Quinnley Harpell has a close bond with Mary Poppins, a seven-month-old heifer calf.
‘Gotta look good,’ says Haylea Chantler, 13, as she gets ready to present horses twice her size.
Clover, a five-year-old dog of mixed breed, has been a star of the SuperDogs show for three years. Walking on front feet is just one of the super skills expected of the animals.
One of the fair’s objectives is to show Canadians where their food comes from. A Farm to Table Discovery Zone showcases locally grown products like these squash, potatoes, kale and apples.
Cowgirl Julia Phaff, 21, from New Liskeard, Ont., runs her own farm and is a veteran at showing cattle at the fair.
Cowboy Tyler Buromastoer, 17, from Millborough, Ont., is competing in the junior division and showing his prize cattle.
Karson O’Connor of Kleinburg, Ont., is 12, and has been riding since age 6. He won in both divisions he entered, and hopes to go to the Olympics one day. Equestrian events take place at the Summer Games, and return in Los Angeles in 2028.
Vegas, a Percheron horse from North Carolina, is six feet tall at the withers – the spot between the shoulder bones – and eight feet from head to hoof. Animals that tall will be hard to miss at the fair, which wraps up at 6 p.m. on Nov. 10.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misidentified one of the riders competing at the fair. This version has been updated.
