Youth Horse Judging Team Earns Chance to Compete Nationally

The Boulder County 4-H Youth Horse Judging Team earned a tough-fought reserve state championship in a very close contest at the Colorado State 4-H Conference. The annual competition was held at the Equine Center at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Colo. on June 21, 2023 as part of the threeday leadership conference. The title of reserve state champions earns them the privilege of representing Colorado 4-H at select national competitions throughout the next year.

Teams from counties across Colorado competed in the day-long contest and the Boulder County 4-H Senior Team came out on top in two of the four categories: Halter and Reasons. The Boulder County 4-H Senior Team members are Clara DeSouza of Erie, Colo., Rhiannon McDermid of Berthoud, Colo., Mattea McQueen of Berthoud, Colo., Moriah McQueen of Berthoud, Colo., Josie Temple of Erie, Colo. and Audrey Wright of Erie, Colo. Among over 25 peers, Boulder County boasted five of the top fifteen overall individuals with Moriah dominating the competition to earn High Individual honors, a beautiful champion buckle and a scholarship courtesy of the CSU Animal Sciences Department.

The team has elected to travel and compete at the prestigious All American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio as well as the U.S. Arabian and HalfArabian National Championships in Tulsa, Okla., both in October.

In her final year competing at the 4-H level, Moriah earned an unheardof perfect score of ‘50’ on three of her four sets of reasons or oral defense of her placing. “It is rare for anyone to earn a 50 on a set of reasons during their entire judging career and Moriah earned three in one contest. That proves how accurate, talented and unique this well-deserving and humble teammate is.” said coach Kendra McConnell.

Junior members Kaylie Schilling and Anabelle Tsai, both of Erie, Colo., competed in the junior division for their first state competition and finished as the first and fourth high individuals, respectively. They were first and second in the reasons category, known to be one of the toughest tasks to conquer in competitive horse judging.

Three senior members took on the challenge of competing in another competition in addition to horse judging with Audrey earning High Individual honors in the Horse Public Speaking contest and Clara DeSouza earning the championship in Horse Demonstration. Both members received champion buckles and scholarships courtesy of the CSU Animal Sciences Department. Their championships qualify them to represent Colorado 4-H at the All American Quarter Horse Congress plus the Western National Roundup 4-H contest in January in Denver, Colo.

The team is coached by Kendra McConnell of Longmont, Colo. who was successful as a Boulder County 4-H youth at the Colorado State 4-H Conference many times as well as other national level competitions including U.S. Arabian & Half-Arabian National Championship Youth Judging Contest, Paint World, Quarter Horse Congress, Quarter Horse Youth World and 4-H National Roundup. She also coaches the Colorado Arabian Horse Club/Region VIII Youth Horse Judging Team.

Competitive horse judging offers an exciting and challenging opportunity for youth to further their knowledge of horses. Team members evaluate horse conformation and performance, while developing skills such as critical thinking, public speaking and team building. Contestants are scored based on how close their placings of mock classes are to the official panel. Then they deliver a two minute, memorized oral defense of their placing of certain classes called reasons.

To support travel expenses, the team will host a Team Benefit Open & 4-H Horse Show in the Indoor Arena at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont, Colo. on Saturday, July 22nd. Any age and level of horses and riders are welcome. There are many ways to support these once-in-alifetime opportunities including showing, donating to the team, becoming a show sponsor and donating or purchasing items in the silent auction. Visit our Facebook page @Boulder County 4-H Horse Judging Team or email bouldercountyhorsejudging@ gmail.com to learn more.

The Boulder County 4-H Horse Judging Team kickoff the spring season on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. Anyone is welcome to attend a fun potluck at the Boulder County Fairgrounds to learn more about the team and competitive horse judging plus fulfill the 4-H judging requirement. Enrollment in the 4-H horse project is not required. For more information, find the team on Facebook or email bouldercountyhorsejudging@gmail.com

About 4-H

4-H began a century ago as an educational program for the nation’s rural youth. Today, 4-H meets the needs of and engages young people in positive youth development experiences. These experiences are based on the idea that young people should be regarded as resources to be developed. 2010 marked the state centennial of 4-H in Colorado and a renewed commitment to helping shape youth and communities. In looking to the next century, 4-H further develops its programs and continues its motto of “Making the Best Better.” For more information: http://co4h.colostate.edu/