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PUEBLO — Lisa Jordan, who at 12 is one year older than her palomino, Lucky, sat in the shade with the sun striking the huge belt buckle she won Sunday.

“I got to skip school, but today is my last day,” the Parker girl said Tuesday while she watched other horses and riders compete at the Colorado State Fair.

In the working ranch horse class, Jordan and Lucky chased cows, conquered a trail obstacle course, followed a reining pattern and were judged on appearance.

Four-legged critters like Lucky outnumbered two-legged ones Tuesday afternoon at the State Fair, but that was expected to change when school and work were done and the $1 deals on admission, rodeo and rides brought in the crowds.

Over at the dairy barn, a group of youngsters marveled at the three cows chewing their cud while waiting for attempts by the public to milk them.

“Look,” 1-year-old Sawyer TerHorst of Colorado Springs told his mother, Carrie, pointing at a dozing Holstein. His 4-year-old brother, Hunter, was positive he didn’t want his picture taken with a cow, but he was intrigued by Norman, a young calf that was licking a little girl’s arm, shoulder, face and head.

Pinkie Lee of Denver babysat the three cows, which belong to a rancher. “I’ve been doing this a long time,” Lee said. “People want to know all kinds of things, like is it hard to milk them and how much milk do they give.”

Around the corner, short-horn bulls were being judged.

“The quality is great,” said judge Darryl Buck, eyeballing the animals. “Different females need different bulls to produce efficient offspring. I look for eye appeal, balance — and structure is a huge issue to me.”

At 8 a.m. today, the superior open female will be selected.

Things were just as ba-a-ad in the sheep, swine and goat building, with a judge describing a winning ewe as “clean-fronted, long necked with a lot of expression on top,” while the fourth-place finisher was “good-ribbed and feminine but doesn’t have the muscle volume.”

For the Zwickis, sheep-showing is a family affair, from Grandma Cynthia to daughter-in-law Steph anie, and 11-month-old grandson, Tyler, who has his own lamb but doesn’t know it.

“I started showing lambs two years ago, although I showed dairy in 4-H,” said Stephanie Zwicki, who operates Sweet Dreams Sheep in Limon, where she gathers wool and sells meat.

“I’ve been involved with sheep my whole life,” Cynthia Zwicki said, and she now counts more than 100 on her Fowler spread. “I love my sheep.”

Fellow sheep owners travel to the same shows, Cynthia Zwicki said, “so we’re all like family.” More of the Zwickis will appear today when two grandkids arrive from Texas to help with show-ring duties.

There’s plenty of things to do for two-legged critters too, including the three-times-daily sea lion show, the Nerveless Nocks Thrill Show, Human Hamster Ball and Wild About Monkeys show.

And when all else fails, fair food beckons, from the traditional corn dogs and funnel cakes to sushi rolls, Rocky Mountain oysters and bull fries.

Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com

Going to the fair

Directions: On Interstate 25 in Pueblo, take Exit 97A (Central Avenue). Go right on Abriendo Avenue to the first stoplight. Turn left on Northern Avenue to Prairie Avenue. Turn right on Prairie. Follow Prairie to the fairgrounds.

Hours: Fairgrounds open at 10 a.m. Food and concession vendors open at 11 a.m.; carnival rides open at noon weekdays and 10 a.m. weekends.

Admission: Monday-Thursday, $5; Friday-Sunday, $8. Children 6 and younger free when accompanied by an adult.

Carnival tickets: $26 a day for unlimited rides; $1 each for individual tickets.

Parking:Public parking lots are west on the fairgrounds off Prairie Avenue and south between Mesa and Northern avenues. Cost is $10 for the preferred lot outside Gate 2, and $7 in the south lot.

Rodeo, entertainment tickets: Available at the State Fair Events Center box office.

Schedule: The Smothers Brothers tonight; Guess Who, Thursday; 2008 PBR team shootout, Thursday; Colbie Caillat, Friday; monster trucks, Friday and Saturday; Sugarland, Saturday; demolition derby, Saturday; Celebracion de los Charros, Sunday; Latin Legends Live, Sunday; truck and tractor pull, Monday.

Fiesta Day: Sunday is the fair’s 41st celebration of Hispanic culture in Colorado.