Tanana District 4-H’ers participate in state 4-H horse contest

By Marla Lowder

On April 28-29, 13 Fairbanks area youth and several adults traveled to Kenai to participate in the 2023 State 4-H Horse Contest at Solid Rock Bible Camp. The contest includes horse judging, horse bowl, demonstrations, public speaking and hippology.

On Thursday evening, everyone checked in, played games, got to know each other and had a great time.

On Friday morning, we kicked off the contest with horse judging. The youth judged two quality/conformation classes and three performance classes at the arena. We then moved back to the lodge and they gave oral reasons on each of the areas.

That evening we started with the hippology contest. The youth completed a written exam, 10 identification stations and worked together on two team problems.

On Saturday, we held the demonstration, public speaking and horse bowl segments. The kids did a wonderful job with their presentations on equine topics. So many participated that we had to start at 7 a.m. to get them all in.

The horse bowl competition started early that afternoon. It is a knowledge contest with buzzer sets and teams. Each game consists of 36 questions with some one-on-one, and then tossup questions for anyone to answer. Eleven teams competed, with a double-elimination bracket.

This contest helps the youth learn and improve many life skills, such as public speaking, decision-making, teamwork and critical thinking, to name just a few.

Watching these youth grow through the program and increase their confidence is great. I know it has an impact on them as I have seen it over the years. I am happy to be a part of it. I am so proud of our youth here in the Tanana District and how professional they are. They spend hours studying and preparing for this contest. In the long run, the knowledge and skills they learn are priceless.

If you would like to know more about this contest, please contact Marla Lowder, Tanana District 4-H agent and 4-H State Horse development chair, at 907-474-2427 or mklowder@alsaka.edu.

Results from Tanana District participants

Teams

3. Midnight Sun Riders – Chelsea Curwen, Addison Liddel, Anja Wandling and Winter Moon.

4. Rockin Ranchers – Emma Austin, Leah Austin, Finn Knight, and Rebecca Reinheller.

Individuals

Intermediates

2. Addison Liddell

4. Emma Austin

Seniors

3. Chelsea Curwen

5. Finn Knight

Horse Judging Quality Champion

Emma Austin

Demonstrations-Illustrated Talk

Junior

3. Anja Wandling — Common Horse Dental Issues

Senior

2. Emma Austin — What Makes a Great Hunter?

Horse Bowl

Teams

2. Papillions – Annika Pelkey, Alicia Bostic, Dean Watson and Celisa Mandregan.

Hippology

Senior

2. Chelsea Curwen

Station Teams

3. Midnight Sun Riders – Chelsea Curwen, Addison Liddell, Anja Wandling and Winter Moon.

Horse Judging

Senior

2. Chelsea Curwen

3. Finn Knight

Team Problems

2. Rockin’ Ranchers – Lean Austin, Emma Austin, Isabelle Miller and Rebecca Reinheller.

3. Midnight Sun Riders – Chelsea Curwin, Addison Liddell, Anja Wandling and Winter Moon.

4-H is a youth organization for youth K-12 that helps youth learn about certain items of interest to them, but also teaches them life skills. 4-H has a club structure with leaders who are adult volunteers with current background checks. To learn more about the local program, contact Marla Lowder, Tanana District 4-H agent, at 907-474-2427. You can also check out our web page at www.alaska4h.org/fairbankstanana-district.html. 4-H is a part of the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.