High standards set in 4-H horse show

The Sanders County Fair started Thursday morning with the 4-H horse show.. Vendors were up and ready for business early Thursday morning as well. A crowd gathered to watch the 12 young ladies show their horses and what they have accomplished in the last year. Tyrell Burklund from Frenchtown judged and Sydnee Wilson from Trout Creek was ring steward. Also attending were horse barn superintendent Wendy Carr from Plains, barn assistant Shannon Chojnacky and trainer Scooter Reeves from Trout Creek. Interview officials were NancyBeech of Paradise and Jean Nemeth of Camas Prairie.

"The judge is tough," Carr admitted. She said that the girls were not competing against each other. "They are not winning ribbons for competition. They all can receive the same color or placement ribbon. They compete against themselves by how much they have learned and improved." Carr also commented that because of Burkund's high standards, the red ribbons were running low. "But the girls can all be proud of their performances today," Carr and Reeves said. Reeves commented that the girls were given the patterns to practice about a week prior to the show.

Girls and horses from Trout Creek to Hot Springs were in the show. They started out with showmanship class under halter, leading and handling as well as the horse's responses to pressure from lead rope and commands from their owner. They were also judged on how well they stand and square up with feet. Communication between horse and handler on the ground is assessed just as it will be when they ride the patterns in the Western Horsemanship class. The western saddle class had cones set up that the girls rode their horses around, moving at a walk, trot or canter. They were judged on their seat, how well they sit in the saddle, hand position, keeping hands off the saddle horn, reins and bit use, leg cues and balance in the horse and rider.

When the girls were saddled up for the saddle class levels, interviews were conducted by Beech and Nemeth. "We ask them questions while they are here with their saddled horses," Nemeth said. "Then we look at their stalls and the poster boards they have made, to complete the interview process. Nancy has been doing this for several years. She is the pro. I'm just helping her."

In the show were: Novice class, Lainey Erwin, Trout Creek on her bay horse Stat,and Georgia Suess, Hot Springs with Appaloosa Cheyanne. Junior class had Brooklyn Crain, Plains on Whiskey, Sophia LaFriniere, Trout Creek on her gray roan, Marina Tulloch, Plains with Ellie, and Kyla Warnes, Plains with Remedy, aka Stitches. The Senior class consisted of Maddie Chojnacky, Trout Creek with her paint Cowboy, Addyson Deal with Sonny, Izabella Purdee with her strawberry roan Jackson, Hailey Roofener, Trout Creek with her quarterhorse Lady, Mackenzie Tulloch, Plains with her dark palomino Charlie and Hannah Warnes, Plains, with her paint mare Legacy.

Carr and others commented on how well Hannah has done with Legacy as a green-broke horse. "Her other horse went lame so she could have chosen not to show," Carr said.

Maddie Chojnacky was alone in the colt to maturity class. Her four-year-old gelding Fireball started in 4-H as a yearling and has been maturing with training. Chojnacky rode Fireball this year. "Maddie was up for the challenge of showing two horses in western saddle," her mom Shannon said.

The final class was bareback walk and trot. The judge directed riders around the arena changing speed and directions. Their ability to use leg cues and communicate while maintaining balance and the correct pace was watched. No one was up for the open class that involved canter or galloping. After the regular class performances, the girls got to try out pole bending and barrel racing. The timers were set up and many ran the events for the first time.

The horses stayed in stalls in the horse barn during the fair for viewing.