CAYUGA CO., N.Y. — Cayuga County residents Payton Youngers, of Scipio Center, and Katie Dristle, of Jordan, competed in an equine based knowledge competition in Cortland on September 11th. Both youth were both a part of the 4H State Champion Hippology team, coached by Heather Whitten, and Youngers placed first individually while Dristle wasn’t far behind and placed third individually.
Lauren McCarthy, of Weedsport, will also be joining the team, however couldn’t attend the contest in Cortland as she was showing at the American Miniature Horse Association Nationals competition. The girls also competed at the State Horse Bowl Contest and Youngers placed first individually with Dristle placing fourth.
Since these youth both placed in the top four individuals, they sealed their spots to be a part of the national teams. The national competitions will be on October 12th and 13th in Columbus, OH at the All American Quarter Horse Congress. They will be representing the Empire State Quarter Horse Youth Association in the Horse Bowl and Hippology contests. The hippology competition itself will consist of multiple parts such as a written test, horse judging, and station identification. The Horse Bowl competition is a Jeopardy style game where contestants ring in using buzzers and answer the questions to earn points. The questions and portions of these events cover various topics including but not limited to genetics, nutrition, facility management, veterinary care, selection, and use.
These kids have been working for almost a decade to make it to this level of the competition from the age of 6 all the way through a global pandemic and nothing has gotten in the way of their gumption to study and compete. Their efforts will surely pay off when the competition day arrives.
–Payton Youngers, 4-H member
Cornell Cooperative Extension Cayuga County
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