PITTSTON — Eleven-year-old Mariah Seavey led her ponies into the coliseum Saturday, ready to compete in the pulling competition at the Pittston Fair.

“Get up!” she commanded.

The black and white ponies, pulling 80o pounds of concrete blocks, charged forward past the judges booth and turned right when Seavey yelled “Gee!” They turned left when she said “Haw!” and stopped when she shouted “Whoa!”

The ponies, weighing about 330 pounds each, pulled the load 661 feet in three minutes, a distance Mariah’s father, Jesse Seavey, said was very good. The audience clapped loudly as she exited the coliseum.

Seavey was the first competitor Saturday morning in the exhibition class pony pulling event at the fair, which is celebrating its 73rd year. The fair opened Thursday and continues through Sunday featuring rides from Smokey’s Greater Shows, strawberry and historical museums, animal events, a strawberry pageant, games and more. The Tilt-A-Whirl, Hurricane, Scrambler, and other rides were awaiting the noon opening of the midway Saturday morning, where everything from fried dough to candied apples, popcorn, pizza and ice cream were being sold from trailers.

The Seaveys, of North Anson, come from a family of horse and pony lovers who have long competed at Maine fairs. They include Jesse, 40, and his wife, Casey, 38, Mariah’s twin sister, Morgan, her sister Lindsey, 6, and her grandparents, Jeff and Laura Lancaster of Anson.

At mid-morning, they were all watching a workhorse pulling competition in the coliseum. Casey and Jesse had competed Friday in draft horse events and the children had competed in various pony events.

The Lancasters, Casey’s parents, have for many years been involved in pulling contests and passed the tradition down to Casey, now 38, who met Jesse Seavey, 40, through horse events. The couple then passed it to their three girls.

“We had a dairy farm and my father cut wood using horses so that’s how I got into horses,” Jesse Seavey said. “We still live at the farm.”

The Lancasters said they have been coming to the Pittston Fair since 1989 — 36 years. The Seaveys competed at 14 fairs in Maine last year, with Jesse and Casey taking part in draft horse events, and the girls in pony events.

“The only ones we didn’t go to were Springfield and Fryeburg,” Jesse Seavey said.

What is the attraction of horses for this family, who also do wagon and sleigh rides in the off-season? They just love the animals, they say.

“They’re nice and soft and cuddly,” Morgan said. “I’m going to barrel race when I grow up and I’m going to train horses.”

Mariah talks to the horses as she rides them in the pasture, according to her mother. She also reads to them. She wants to be a pole bender (where horse and rider maneuver through a pole obstacle course) and chef when she is older. Lindsey, who aspires to be a trick rider, loves to be in the spotlight — and the larger the audience, the better.

The girls, who attend Carrabec Community School, won a lot of ribbons Friday to add to their many ribbons and trophies from prior competitions. Morgan and Lindsey competed in the pulling contest Saturday with their ponies following their sister’s performance.

They and three other competitors took home $106 each — the amount of money the audience pitched in for them.

It was perfect fair weather Saturday — 72 degrees with low humidity and a gentle breeze.

Sunday is children’s day when the gates open at 8 a.m., and the midway at noon. Events include a search and rescue dog demonstration, sheep obstacle course, a flower-plant auction, strawberry pageant coronation, baby contest, kiddie tractor pull, children’s cookie contest, pig scramble, fudge contest and bicycle giveaway. A fair schedule is available at pittstonfair.com