August/September 2022 NC 4-H Horse Program Newsletter Newsletter

The 2022 NC State 4-H Horse Show was held July 6-10 at the James B. Hunt Horse Complex in Raleigh, NC. Thirty-eight counties were represented by 219 horse and rider combinations across 23 different divisions. There were a total of 1,471 class entries in 153 classes. Division champions were awarded belt buckles and tri-color ribbons, and reserve champions received leather halters and tri-color ribbons. Versatility class champions received engraved picture frames and neck ribbons. Dressage high ride winners were presented with engraved photo plaques.

The 2022 NC State 4-H Horse Show was dedicated to Johnston County and North Carolina 4-H Horse Program Volunteer, Joyce Bohn.

Thank you to our major show sponsors: North Carolina Horse Council, Marion Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, I Got Your Crabs Restaurant, TGS Trucking, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Keyrose Estate.

A further breakdown of division and class winners can be found here.

The Stall Decorating Contest Winners included:

Division I: Nicole Sisk, Cabarrus County
Division II: High Flyers, Orange County
Division III: Blue Ribbon Riders, Pasquotank County

For our Sponsorship Challenge:

1st place: Davie County
2nd place: Perquimans County

The Candace Norman Volunteer Award Winners included:

Youth: Faith Waelz, Gaston County
Adult: Mary Hunt, Guilford County

Sportsmanship Award Winners:

Junior: Evan Hanna, Orange County
Senior: Aurora Michaud, Cabarrus County

Super Senior Equine Winner: Allie Lou West

The 3rd Annual NC State 4-H Alumni Showmanship Class was held Saturday, July 9 during the evening program of the NC State 4-H Horse Show. Sixteen alumni entered the class and collectively raised the most money to date, $3060.00! The Alumni
Showmanship funds are distributed annually to the five district 4-H horse councils so they can provide scholarship money and financial assistance to deserving NC 4-H’ers that wish to participate in educational events, clinics, camps, or shows. Rockingham county 4-H alumnae Laura Sheets repeated as class winner. This year, she showed her sister’s horse, Richochet Rick. Reserve class champion horses went to former Wake County 4-H’er, Kellianne Lunny showing Flashy Hollywood Jewl. Kellianne dressed as Alaina Cross’ doppelganger. Former Cabarrus County 4-H’er Cameron Van Sickle very wisely utilized social media to help him raise the most money and earn the Sponsorship Challenge Award. Stephanie Blackburn, a former Georgia and Arkansas 4-H’er member, and current 4-H mom, earned the title of Most Fly Alumni with her spot-on impersonation of Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean.

The NC 4-H Horse Program Achievement Award program started in 2021 and is an annual application/submission of accomplishments within 4-H, with a specific focus on horse program achievements that is cumulative beginning with the applicant’s first year in the horse program. Award levels are on a points-based system that groups like activities completed based on the level of involvement and ranks them. The following youth completed a 2022 application to earn their level and patch.

To learn more about this program and this year's recipients, check out the website.

The 2022 NC 4-H Horse Program Artistic Expression Contest was held July 8-9 during the NC State 4-H Horse Show. There were some amazing projects submitted! Special thanks to NC Volunteer Leader, Amber Nead, for coordinating the judges, and tabulating the results for this contest. The results for the Senior, Junior, and Cloverbud divisions are listed below. Example photos of some of the submitted projects are also provided.

A full breakdown of the placing and contestants can be found here.

The 2022 NC 4-H Horse Program Communications Contests were held during NC 4-H Congress at NC State University on July 16. Youth competed in both presentations and public speaking after qualifying through their District Activity Days. Congratulations to the following youth for earning top honors in their respective divisions:

Public Speaking

11-13

1st – Halle Taylor, Onslow

14-18

1st – Anastasia Smith, Orange
2nd- Graham Zeiders, Halifax
Presentations

8-10

1st- Anna Yemtchuk, Cabarrus
2nd- Kara Sanders & Layla Terry, Halifax
3rd- Madeline Branch, Surry
4th- Ryan Ljunggren, Onslow
5th- Elizabeth Lucas, Alleghany
6th- Angel Bryant, Chowan

11-13

1st- Sadie Powell, Cabarrus
2nd- Taryn Reams, Nash
3rd- Hannah Tucker, Union
4th- Caitlin Winstead, Person
5th- Haley Matthis, Sampson

14-18

1st- Cayden Lowe, Currituck
2nd- Austen Stinson-Miller, Orange
3rd- Camille Myrick, Halifax
4th- Faith Waelz, Gaston
5th- Claire Winstead, Person
6th- Naomi Edwards, Hoke

The NC 4-H Horse Program had 18 exhibitors compete in the Hunter, Ranch, Speed, and Dressage divisions at the 2022 Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships in Perry, Georgia. NC 4-H’ers Macy Zelch and Addison Taylor were crowned Hunter Champion and Hunter Reserve Champion. Both young ladies are members of the Young Riders 4-H Club in Union County. Their 4-H leader and trainer is NC 4-H Horse Program alumnus Samantha Taylor.

To find further results, check it out here!

The North Carolina 4-H Horse Program was very well represented in the Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championship Educational Contests. NC claimed first and second place team awards in Horsebowl, Hippology, and Horse Judging. Individually, NC 4-H’ers won first place in Public Speaking, Individual Presentation, Hippology, Horsebowl, and Horse Judging.

Communications

Individual Presentation

1st - Cayden Lowe, Coach Cameron Lowe
3rd - Austen Stinson-Miller, Coach Jonathon Smith

Team Presentation

2nd - Olivia Hill & Victoria Smith, Coach Samantha Taylor

Public Speaking

1st - Graham Zeiders, Coach Jodie Knight & Beth Burchell
5th - Anastasia Smith, Coach Jonathon Smith

Horsebowl

The North Carolina Horsebowl teams were coached by Beth Morgan, with help from Mary Dickerson guiding Team B at the contest. Team A won first overall, Team Members consisted of: Graham Zeiders, Annie Winter (1st Individual), Sara Richardson, Saona Wilcox (3rd Individual)

North Carolina Team B placed second overall, and consisted of: Makenah Allred, Madie Noblin (5th Individual), Kyra Worth (6th Individual), Sarah Endicott (9th Individual).

Hippology

The NC Hippology teams were coached by Mary Dickerson and Ruth Vorder-Bruegge. North Carolina A was 2nd in Exam/Slide IDs, 2nd in Stations, 6th in Judging, 1st in Team Problem, and 2nd Overall. The Team Members included: Samantha Durham(5th Overall), Elena Hamilton(6th Overall), Sara Richardson(8th Overall), and Lauren Williams(4th Overall).

North Carolina B was 1st in Exam/ID, 1st in Stations, 1st in Judging, 3rd in Team Problem, and 1st Overall. This team consisted of Kyra Worth(1st Overall), Allee Coble(2nd Overall), Stevie Neff-Sharum(7th Overall), and Sarah Endicott(9th Overall).

Horse Judging

Both Horse Judging teams were coached by Mary Dickerson and Ruth Vorder-Bruegge. Team A was 1st in Halter, 1st in Performance, 1st in Reasons, and 1st Overall. The Team Members included Bryleigh Colbert(9th Overall), Hannah Mennig(1st Overall), Charlize Colon, Olivia Juergens(8th Overall).

The North Carolina B Team placed 3rd in Halter, 3rd in Performance, 2nd in Reasons, and 2nd Overall. This Team was comprised of Elena Hamilton, Stevie Neff-Sharum(2nd Overall), Allee Coble, Samantha Durham.

This short course is designed for individuals with limited horse show judging experience, coaches, FFA instructors, and all individuals interested in judging. Emphasis will be placed on teaching the judging systems appropriate for judging various classes in the western, hunt seat, saddle seat, and non-trotting divisions. Participants will have a unique opportunity to interact one-on-one with experts to improve their judging expertise while learning the judging techniques taught at North Carolina State University, whose 4-H teams have earned numerous national and world judging contest championships.

Fee: $115
Deadline: October 15, 2022 (otherwise $25 late fee)
More information here or registration link here

This clinic is designed to provide individuals who are, or aspire to be, horse show judges with practical “hands-on” experience in judging saddle seat, hunt seat, non-trotting and western classes. Participating judges will have an opportunity to judge 20-27 conformation and performance classes, complete a required 20-25 question exam in each of the four divisions, and receive certification in these four divisions. A panel of breed-recognized professional judges from across the nation will discuss the class placings and present lectures on judging procedures. Individuals completing the clinic will be included on a list of suggested horse show judges that will be annually revised and distributed to open horse show organizations located in North Carolina and surrounding states. Judges receiving an average score of 90% or higher per show division will be certified for that respective division.

Fees: Advanced registration is $75/day
Age Requirement: 19 years and older
Deadline Date: November 18, 2022 (A $15 late fee/day will be applied)

More information can be found here.

NC 4-H Horse Program and 4-H Horsemanship Camp Featured in “Our State” magazine.
"Our State" Magazine visited Millstone 4-H Camp during our Horsemanship Camp this summer to take photos and explore a bit! We were featured in the September 2022 issue about Equine programs across North Carolina- Check it out!
"Our State" said, "On 320 acres in the Sandhills, tucked amid longleaf pines, the Millstone 4-H Camp welcomes young horse enthusiasts for its weeklong horsemanship camp each June. The camp was constructed by the Works Progress Administration in 1938 and opened for its first group of 4-H campers the following year. For more than 45 years, the horsemanship camp has been a key experience at Millstone, educating riders on topics like showmanship, technique, and horse judging. The camp is just one part of the NC 4-H Horse Program, a statewide organization that teaches kids to appreciate their equine companions through trail rides, art and writing contests, community service projects, and horse shows."