UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Four Pennsylvania 4-H members from Northumberland County — Katelyn Clemens, Samantha Harvey, Bella Moore and Ryann Stahlberger — recently participated in the All-American Quarter Horse Congress, the world’s largest single-breed horse show.
Held at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, the show attracts 650,000 people and is hosted by the Ohio Quarter Horse Association, a state affiliate of the American Quarter Horse Association. Elizabeth Pope coached the Pennsylvania 4-H team.
During the show, 4-H, FFA and collegiate members can compete in several knowledge contests, including public speaking, presentations, hippology, horse bowl and horse judging.
“This is a national event for our Pennsylvania 4-H’ers and is the culmination of hard work in any of these events,” said Andrea Kocher, Penn State Extension equine specialist and instructor in equine science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
Kirsten Dubbs, Penn State Extension 4-H animal science specialist, explained that horse judging contests allow youth to learn breed and conformation standards.
“They learn to evaluate and rank classes of animals that are placed in front of them at judging contests,” Dubbs said. “That’s valuable if youth move on to breeding as a career. But more importantly, judging teaches youth organizational skills, critical thinking, memorization and evaluation skills. It teaches them to think on their feet, to reason their way through the decision-making process. It also teaches them public speaking and communication skills.”
Anyone interested in participating in a qualifying event at the state level in 4-H should contact their local county extension educator for more information on the many opportunities, Kocher noted. She emphasized the benefits of participating in 4-H.
“These events provide the opportunity for students to learn life skills, such as confidence, objective reasoning, commitment, decision making, oral communication, time management and teamwork,” Kocher said.
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the United States Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/
–Alexandra McLaughlin, Penn State University
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