By Marla Lowder

On April 29-30, 54 youth from across the state came to Fairbanks to participate in the Alaska 4-H State Horse Contest. The contest consists of horse judging, horse bowl, demonstrations, public speaking and hippology.

The contest started on April 29 on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus with demonstrations and public speaking contests. That afternoon, the participants moved to Camp Li-Wa for the horse judging portion during which youth judged two quality/confirmation classes and four performance classes and then gave oral reasons on their decision, one from each of the areas.

On April 30, we were back at UAF for the hippology portion, which tests participants’ knowledge of horses. This contest consists of four segments: judging (done the day before); a written test; 10 identifying stations; and two team problems.

That afternoon the horse bowl competition started. This is a knowledge contest with buzzer sets and teams. Each game consists of 36 questions with some one-on-one and then a toss-up question for anyone to answer. Nine teams competed in the double elimination bracket.

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

That evening there was an awards dinner held at Seekins Ford. Local horse clubs provided food for all who attended.

We ended the weekend on May 1, with a tour of the UAF Veterinary Medicine Program. The youth really enjoyed this and I am sure one or two will be future students.

It is great to watch these youth grow through the program with life skills such as confidence. Over the years, I have seen the impact it has had on them and 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 spent a lot of hours studying and preparing for this contest. In the long run, the knowledge and skills they gain are priceless.

After not doing it for a couple of years, it was great to see everyone back together and to see the smiles on the youths’ faces. They were true smiles and everyone had a great time

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.

Contest results

Horse Judging

Teams: Rockin’ Ranchers (Tanana) – Emma Austin, Rebecca Reinheller, Isabelle Miller, and Leah Austin.

Individuals:

Juniors: Leah Austin (Tanana)

Intermediates: Rebecca Reinheller (Tanana), Emma Austin (Tanana)

Seniors: Isabelle Miller (Tanana)

Horse Judging Performance Champion:Emma Austin (Tanana)

Demonstrations/Illustrated Talk: Junior: Emma Austin (Tanana) Promises Journey; Anja Wandling (Tanana) Bones of a Horse

Team Demonstrations: Payton Binkley and Emma Pletnikoff (Tanana) Vaulting

Hippology

Teams Overall: Midnight Sun Riders (Tanana) – Winter Moon, Natanya Ray, Chelsea Curwen and Kylee Dorman.

Exam Individuals: Chelsea Curwen (Tanana)

Exam Teams: Midnight Sun Riders (Tanana) Winter Moon, Natanya Ray, Chelsea Curwen and Kylee Dorman.

Horse Judging Individuals: Natanya Ray (Tanana), Isabelle Miller (Tanana)

Horse Judging Teams: Rockin’ Ranchers (Tanana) – Emma Austin, Rebecca Reinheller, Isabelle Miller and Leah Austin.

Midnight Sun Riders (Tanana) – Winter Moon, Natanya Ray, Chelsea Curwen and Kylee Dorman.

Team Problems:

Rockin’ Ranchers (Tanana) –Emma Austin, Rebecca Reinheller, Isabelle Miller and Leah Austin

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 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.