No horsin’ around: Olivia brings out the best in her animals

Senior Olivia Arnold has a large collection of animals that she showcases at competitions and the Market Lamb and Goat Show at the Bloomsburg Fair.

Olivia is a part of the FFA (Future Farmers of America), a student-led organization that deals with agricultural education. Olivia said that she has 30 horses, two breeding sheep and six dogs (four inside and two outside) currently living with her on the farm she grew up on. She added that she has worked with rabbits, market goats, lambs and has recently taken up pigs.

“I kind of got introduced to 4-H (a youth organization that focuses on agriculture) at a young age,” said Olivia. “I was about nine or ten when I started showing rabbits.”

Olivia said that she should be getting another set of goats and sheep in March, and she added that she plans to show them off every weekend in May at “jackpots,” which are shows that people take their animals to compete and win money.

According to Olivia, her methods for handling larger animals like horses require high levels of patience and tolerance. For example, about three years ago, Olivia said she was driving with her mini-horse, Angel, in a cart. During the ride, her neighbors’ dogs came running out and spooked Angel. This caused Olivia to fall out of the cart and Angel to take off down the road. A trucker picked her up and helped her catch Angel; no one was seriously hurt during the ordeal, according to Olivia.

“Obviously goats and sheep are different than horses, so you kind of have to watch them behave,” said Olivia.

In her free time, Olivia said she rides horses and shows them in addition to the goats and sheep. She added that she also participates with the Knelly Equestrian Team run by the Interscholastic Equestrian Association.

Agricultural Science Instructor Mr. David Bittner acts as Olivia’s supervisor with the FFA.

“When she signs up to show (her animals) through FFA, I’m responsible for visiting her farm and checking all of the animals to make sure that their identifications match,” said Mr. Bittner. “I make sure that they’re clean and being raised responsibly and that they’re ready for shows.”

According to Mr. Bittner, Olivia is an extremely hard worker and she has been showing livestock since she was six-years-old and she has been traveling all over the world to do so.

“I don’t take credit for the talent that she came to me with,” he said. “The amount of talent she has is superior to any other student I’ve ever met.”

Olivia works with her animals every day and bonds with them deep enough so that they trust her, according to Mr. Bittner. She walks with them daily, has a treadmill for them and is around them often so they feel comfortable with her. He added that she has done all of the projects involving her animals independently.

Olivia said she wants to either take a gap year or do online college courses when she graduates, but added that these plans are not set in stone. According to Olivia, her dream jobs are either working as a horse trainer or for a big time show goat farm.