For most, the Kentucky State Fair is about fun.

For others, it's about competition.

A program being offered at the fair is giving those with special needs the opportunity to step into the show ring and experience both.

We really wanted to put an emphasis on our special needs individuals in the state of Kentucky and how do we get a greater participation this year than we've had in the previous years.

The first year that we had this, we had three participants.

The next year, five, the next year 12.

We wanted to really see if we could expand this in such a way that it really made a difference in the community for special needs individuals and their families.

Back in the spring, Commissioner Shell reached out to us, told us about this wonderful opportunity at the state fair was showing sheep.

We had never heard of it.

It's sort of new, new to our purpose.

We wear year round sports training and competition program.

We offer 15 traditional sports.

And when he met with those with me, what a great idea to offer an additional opportunity for our athletes to excel.

This year we had over 60 participants show up at the state fair and participate and.

Have a say, as are the.

Yeah, we first learned about the class last year and we think it's an awesome event to really shine the light on kids with special needs and give them an opportunity to do what every other kid gets to do.

A lot of times they kind of end up in the background and she loves especially to have the spotlight on her.

We want to make these kids feel special and get some attention and just feel like all the other kids in the barn.

A lot of the kids that volunteer to bring sheep to the event today have never interacted with a special needs child.

So it's a good opportunity for them to see they're just like them.

Just made a little bit different, but we don't love them any less.

So I think it's great exposure for those kids in their families as well.

I worked with her.

She was she was lovely and she really enjoyed getting off and putting hands on the lamb and really working with the stock while he was in there.

This class was actually a lot of fun.

Just bringing in new kids and kids with special needs into the industry is really fun with it.

And to just see them experience, to go out there with the lambs was really it was really like heartwarming, I'd say.

It was really nice to see everybody just kind of all come together through like showing lambs.

The first year, Piper was really scared she wouldn't touch the sheep, and this year she was out there dragging it around by the halter and being really aggressive with it.

They will get over this year.

Just give it a try.

Expose them to something new.

Lambs were chosen because those are probably the easiest, best bonding animals.

Just for them to bond with the kids is very just amazing.

It crosses over what lessons they learn in sports, you know, the camaraderie.

They have to learn patience.

They have to learn how to where you might in sports need to learn to work with teammates.

They're now learning to work with an animal and they're learning to present that animal and just just really garner new relationships as well.