Covenant Student Earns Top 5 in Youth Horse Judging Competition

Mary is President of the county's 4H Equine Club. 4H is the Nation's oldest youth leadership development program associated with the National Cooperative Extension Service. The Virginia 4H Horse Program offers many avenues in which youth can expand their knowledge and leadership skills in Equine Science, namely Hippology, Horse Judging, and Horse Bowl. In horse judging, competitors evaluate horses of varying breeds in several classes in a ring, and then they are scored against official judges' ideal placings.  Then the competitors must verbally defend their placings in front of the official judges in a process called 'Reasons'. Scores are then given and totaled as to the competitors' placings and strength and presentation of reasons.

 

Since qualifying back in April for the State Horse Judging Team, Mary spent her summer traveling to different horse farms in West Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia, to see, study, and work with horse breeds not common to Virginia, as well as those within Virginia, learning what determines a winner in the various horse disciplines and industries. In addition to her academic load at school, Mary continues to balance weekly horse judging homework, team meetings, and continues to train, ride, and care for her horse.

 

Of note, the Team did equally as well at the 4H Southern Regionals in Perry Georgia in August, the American Horse Quarter Horse Congress Horse Judging Competition in Ohio in October, and this past weekend at the Eastern National Round-up in Louisville, Kentucky.

Way to go Mary!