State 4H Youth


"Their Best, Better" at Texas State


4-H Show Contributed by Jill Dunkel, Photography by Jay Hardy


In true 4-H fash- ion, working to make “their


best, better,”


350 Texas 4-H mem- bers and their fami- lies descended on the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene for the State 4-H Horse Show, vying for state cham- pionship titles. This marked the second year that both junior and senior division champions were crowned. New this year were several ed- ucational opportunities and collegiate coaches presenting options for youth beyond their 4-H careers.


Sabine Lazo


Sidney Dunkel concluded her 4-H career as a three-time winner of the Senior High Point Stock Horseman award. She also received the Zinn Lindsey scholarship, given in memory of the only other 4-Her to win the stock horse award three years in a row. The Hunter Flat and Western Judged division crowned a new senior champion, Sabine Lazo of Burleson County. Sabine won both titles as a junior rider last year. Several ropers vied for the high point sad- dle, competing in three events. When the dust settled it was Blake Griffin of Shelby County who rose to the top. Miranda Schott of Kinney County proved to the fastest overall, capturing the Senior Speed Horseman title, while Brianna Tuso of Denton County made a clean sweep of all of the fence classes and won the Senior Over Fences Horseman award.


In the Junior division, six riders were crowned with high point honors including Ad-


Blake Griffin


dison Paulsen of Williamson County in Stock Horse, Kaitlyn Evans of Cooke County in Hunter Flat, Paden Jarosz of Montague County in Roping, Abigail Newbold of Wise County in Over Fences, Tess Underbrink of Atascosa County in Speed, and Layla Clark of Madison County in Western Judged. With the help of corporate sponsorships from Capital Farm Credit and Anderson Bean, the senior high point winners were presented saddles, and junior winners received custom saddle pads. Those sponsors, plus several in- dividual sponsors allowed the show to present over 160 belt buckles, boots and other prizes. In addition to crowning more than forty champions in a variety of classes, the show of- fered new programs connecting youth and high- er education, and the opportunities available to college students beyond exhibiting horses. “The overreaching goal of 4-H is prepar- ing youth for the future by instilling life skills through education,” said Dr. Jennifer Zoller, Assistant Professor and Horse Specialist. “We really tried to bring that to the forefront of the show this year by offering more educational events. Through Vet Talks, Saddle up for Col- lege and a Stock Horse Trail clinic at the show, we were able to give kids a chance to compete and also a chance to improve and grow.”


Brianna Tuso


Sidney Dunkel


The “Saddle Up for College” program fea- tured a luncheon sponsored by the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science where the col- leges spoke to an audience of well over 100 4-H youth and their families. Youth then had the opportunity to talk to college representa- tives, one-on-one, about the programs. Several 4-Hers and their families said the college talks opened their eyes to what careers, degree ma- jors and collegiate equine opportunities were available. Twice during the eight-day show, show


veterinarian Dr. Mike Martin and his team of fourth year vet students gave “Vet Talks” on equine biosecurity, vaccination programs and other health-related topics. A clinic on Stock Horse Trail was also a highlight, with Earnest Wilson teaching strategy for the obstacles that 4-Hers rode the following day in the stock horse trail class. Around 150 4-Hers and their families were in attendance. Another program new to the show, Attitude of Gratitude, was a weeklong event dedicated to conveying a mes- sage of gratitude to the multitudes of people that help 4-H’ers succeed at the show and to sponsors who provide generous contributions to make the show possible. Due to the success of the new programs, more are planned for 2018 to make the State 4-H Horse Show a must-attend event for 4-H families interested in the horse program. w


Miranda Schott


Make


September 2017 SouthWest Horse Trader


11


Dan Busse Jay Hardy


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