MOUNT VERNON — The 2025 Knox County Junior Fair kicked off on Saturday with a day of equine competition.

The events culminated with Madison Ruhl being crowned Horse Queen. Lily Laufer will wear the Horse Princess sash.

The state fair qualifiers were also recognized. Being an equine state fair qualifier means riders met criteria set by state organizations to participate in state-level competitions. Below are the riders who qualified:

Marley Boone

Darby Rardin

Abby Eikleberry

Jaelynn Plumly

Massilyn Ricketts

Kyla Kidwell

Charlie McKenzie

Josie Michalak

Lucas Smith

Tenley Doup

Taylor Tyson

Evie McCann

Gwenyth McCann

Andra Simmons

Jaxson Welch

(The equine skill-a-thon winners were also announced. Their names and photo will appear later in the week with Knox Pages reporter Jack Slemenda’s skill-a-thon story.)

Here are the results of Saturday’s Western Pleasure show: