MONROE — It happened by chance about 20 years ago.

Tiffany Porter was at a King County fair to show her horse. People were looking for someone who could show miniature horses. They asked Porter to show them. She did so, even though she had never dealt with the little horses.

Porter, then a teenager, fell in love.

Now 37, Porter trains and shows miniature horses at competitions. Her family owns about 60 of them at three different locations, she said.

She and her daughters Brittany, 6, and Jade, 3, participated Friday in the Can-Am Classic, an annual competition for miniature horses sponsored by the Northwest Miniature Horse Club.

The event that started in the early 1990s in Monroe continues through Sunday at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, featuring more than 130 miniature horses. Porter said her oldest daughter, Kayla, 9, missed the event on Friday morning to attend school, but she will join the competition today.

A miniature horse, shorter than 34 inches in height, is for everyone, Porter said.

“Because of their size, they are very good for people who are older. They are excellent for those who are handicapped,” she said.

Anybody older than 2 can show miniature horses, said Mark Bullington, the event’s announcer.

“They don’t intimidate people. They are very well-mannered,” Bullington said.

Little horses on Friday ran, jumped and pulled carts in competitions. Jade cried a little while she had her blond hair braided. Once she stepped in the arena with her horse Bill, though, the pair ran around and impressed three judges.

She eared two first places and one second place in Youth Halter Class.

“How did it go?” people asked Jade after the competition.

“Good!” she said, smiling from ear to ear.

Maybe a “cute factor” played into Jade’s victories, her mother said .

Winning isn’t the most important thing for her daughters, Porter said. What’s important is that they learn a lot about life from taking care of miniature horses.

“I’m a firm believer that having a miniature horse, or any animal, teaches them life is not just about them,” she said.

Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.

Miniature horses

The Northwest Miniature Horse Club started a miniature horse show on Friday at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, 14405 179th Ave. SE, Monroe. The show continues through Monday; it will start at 8 a.m. and wrap up in the afternoon. Admission and parking are free.