4-H in FOCUS
JULY 2022
Publication of the Daily Record
4-H Editor Michael Gallagher Publisher Heather Hernandez Advertising Contact us: Daily Record 401 N. Main St. Ellensburg, WA 98926 509-925-1414
4-H in FOCUS Table of contents
Equestrians saddle up in performance, expertise......page 4 Dog training invaluable to family dynamic.................page 6
On the cover:
Kittitas County 4-H Council secretary Rachel George’s selfie on the Fourth of July in Washington, D.C.
Washington state contingent brings civility to D.C.........................................................page 10 Demonstration contest winners named.......................page 11 aaiirr F y F t n y u t o n s C ou K Kiittttiittaas C
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Equestrians saddle up in performance, expertise By Jake McNeal sports editor With just inside a month left to prepare, horsemen and horsewomen are working on their horse sense. Kittitas County junior, intermediate and senior division equestrians assembled for the year’s second horse judging, oral reasons in which trainers explain why they ranked a specific class of horses the way they did, and classes in showmanship, gaming, western equitation, driving, English equitation and trail July 16 at Bloom Pavilion in Ellensburg. Jan Wallace, this year’s judge in the Junior Horse Fair set for Aug. 18-21 in the same arena, was on hand to evaluate reasons and impart the value of attire, horse and rider appearance and proper bridles in showmanship, and riders found out what to expect as they perform in the horse fair and in the Washington State 4-H Fair September 2-25 in Puyallup. “It helps and it kind of makes you feel more comfortable so you get to show you’re less nervous, and it’s great that she gives us this opportunity,” said Jenna Woodside, in the senior division that includes high school riders where intermediate and junior welcome those in middle school and elementary school, respectively. “It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s fun. Once you do it you feel great.” In the Danish Ribbon System, riders earn blue (100-85%), red (84-70) and white (69 and below) ribbons that reflect a standard instead of placing, and kids find out where they can improve. “Some of my favorite classes are trail because it’s really interesting, fun and
Junior Horse Fair judge Jan Wallace, right, and Bits & Buckles club leader Bobbi Broderius, center, begin showmanship instruction July 16 at the Kittitas County Event Center’s Bloom Pavilion in Ellensburg.
Kayliana Blackmore brings her oral reasons before Junior Horse Fair judge Jan Wallace in a day of training July 16 at the Kittitas County Event Center’s Bloom Pavilion in Ellensburg. 4 | 4-H & FFA • 2022
different from your rail work classes,” said Emily Ryder, of the senior division, who has a mini with which she does driving. “I also really enjoy showmanship — it’s not everybody’s favorite, but it’s really technical and you can really see the work pay off. It’s very detailed and not a lot of people put the time in on it. We have a couple of big shows coming up, and that’s when you see everything pay off, so it’s really exciting.” Monday Night Rides July 18 and 25 and the Horse Pre-Show July 22-24 at Bloom Pavilion help to take skills farther. “My focus this year is bareback and English,” said Zane Bennett, a fifth-year horse 4-Her in the junior division and a sixth-year H-er in all, whose horse is getting used to bareback riding. “With English it’s going pretty decent; I think he likes it because it’s a wider saddle.” Riders need good club attendance, submitted record books, completed presentations, a Kittitas County 4-H horse judging contest and a horse identification certificate in the current 4-H year to exhibit in the Junior Horse Tori Forgey brings her oral reasons before Junior Horse Fair judge Jan Wallace in a day of training July 16 at the Fair. Kittitas County Event Center’s Bloom Pavilion in Ellensburg. WHAT IS THE GIRLS NAME - MISSING LETTER “There all different kinds of ways of training horses, different riding styles, different ways of going about things and different levels,” said Bobbi Broderius, who leads the Bits & Buckles club, one of five clubs in the county with the Rowdy Riders, Royal Riders, Stirrups & Irons and Trailblazers. “We expect a lot from our 4-H horses: Usually if you get into barrel races or cow cutting, that one horse has a job, and for 4-H horses we expect them to do a little bit of everything because that’s what we need them for our kids to do.” Clubs also decorate their barns and are judged on cleanliness and how presentable their areas are to the public. “My favorite part about 4-H is just getting a bond between me and my horse, because I’ve never had anything like that,” said Darla Perry, a first-year in the Stirrups & Irons Club, of her horse Skywalker, a quarter horse that lives at her grandmother’s house and which she visits at least once a week. “I think it’s going to be a little difficult to go to sixth-grade next year because, immediately, I’ll go to intermediate, which is the next level up.” Hunter McKean brings oral reasons before Junior Horse Fair judge Jan Wallace in a day of training July 16 at the Kittitas County Event Center’s Bloom Pavilion in Ellensburg. 5 | 4-H & FFA • 2022
Julianne Bryant and Roo the 3 1/2-year-old English golden retriever enjoy the sunshine July 15 at Central Washington University’s Moore Hall in Ellensburg.
Dog training invaluable to family dynamic By Jake McNeal sports editor Canine wellbeing is an early skill that makes new best friends. Kids 5 to 19 years of age can show off their hard work in dog showmanship, obedience and agility, and Susan Bryant can help bring about their 4-H expertise. “In this group we focus on having fun with the dogs, learning good dog health and nurturing your life-
long family member as opposed to getting wrapped up with the ribbons,” said Bryant, who has been a teacher, school counselor and biologist, and homeschooling her kids is her favorite, particularly in STEM. “4-H is like any other thing and people want to win, but we try not to focus on that.” Family 4-H groups can choose multiple projects like baking, beef, horses, hogs, sheep, goats, photography, sewing, robotics, rabbits, shooting and archery, and the parent
becomes the project leader. Bryant’s family moved to Kittitas County from Norway as her husband was a career Air Force officer, and when they arrived 4-H needed leaders in robotics. She always had dogs growing up, and got to know English goldens living in Europe. Bryant’s daughter Amy, who “has been really into dogs” for about eight years, is a Washington State University nursing grad, and her younger daughter, Julianne, is thinking about
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something medical but, as she’s in high school, still has time to decide. Susan’s son, Gabe, was a long-time 4-Her in robotics, photography and foods/ nutrition, and is about to enter his first year of dental school at the University of Southern California. Susan, Amy and Julianne Bryant and family 4-H friends Traci and Brynn Tegman went for a walk with Nala and Roo, English golden retrievers 2 and 3 ½ respective years of age, July 15 along the water near Central Washington’s
Moore Hall in Ellensburg. Central’s campus is revered for its shady pathways where canine trainees can socialize with other dogs, skateboarders and bicyclists. “The campus is so perfect,” said Susan Bryant, who noted that English goldens tend to be shyer than American goldens. “During the ninemonth school year it’s perfect because you’ve got a lot of college students who will come up and say, ‘Hey, can I pet your dog?’ so that’s wonderful for the dogs.” Nala hasn’t been shown yet, but she’s well on her way as obedience takes years of patience, where livestock handlers have brief windows before going to market. Dogs used to be shown each day of the Kittitas County Fair, but now they’re shown on a single day for the sake of rest and relaxation after lots of interaction with the public. Kids as young as 5 to 7 can enter the Cloverbud program, depending on the project, and 4-H scholarships await kids active for years with accomplished record books. With dogs, it all starts
in puppy training, grooming, giving vaccinations, leashing and collaring, deworming, feeding and applying basic first aid. “I like it when they get it,” said Brynn Tegman, who likes to show off tricks and what her puppy Duke, also a golden, can do, including jumping through a hoop, when people come over and babysit him. “That’s always so exciting, to ‘sit’ or ‘shake’ or ‘come’ or ‘drop it’ or ‘wait’ for the treat before they take it,” Traci Tegman said. Kids keep record books that serve as summer writing projects and get them thinking about their projects, what they’ve learned and their expenses, and some have multiple projects. Traditionally 4-Hers work in shifts and parents help out in the concessions trailer, but there will be no such trailer at this year’s Kittitas County Fair after it caught fire and, though fortunately no one was injured, awaits replacement. “Also a part of that is the judges Brynn and Traci Tegman enjoy a walk with Nala, a two-year-old English asking them questions, and they get golden retriever, July 15 at Central Washington University’s Moore Hall in graded on that,” Susan Bryant said. Ellensburg.
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Showmanship involves bathing, grooming, trimming nails, cleaning ears and having kids dress professionally with closed-toed shoes and business attire while they’re showing. “With the light-colored dogs you’re supposed to wear darker clothing because you want your dog to stand out,” Susan Bryant said. “If your dog’s dark brown or black, you want to wear light-colored clothes to have your dog stand out.” Kids show the bite on dogs to prove the dog is in shape, has good confirmation and teeth cleanliness, and proof of vaccination and lack of flaws passable to puppies follow. Kids are also judged on temperament when handling dogs instead of getting upset at difficulty. Walking a dog on the left side, known as heeling, is different from showing horses that walk on the right. “Typically in showing dogs you have to get strong in your other arm, which is kind of weird at first,” Susan Bryant said. Kids also go to see Dr. Casey Kellar, a former 4-Her who founded Best Friends Mobile Veterinary Care in 2018, in Ellensburg. “When they get out of 4-H, their career interests really span a gamut because you’ve been really into dogs,” Susan Bryant said. “Things that they learn with their dogs absolutely flow into lifetime pursuits. They’ll always have dogs, for sure.”
Good luck at the fair to all 4-H participants!
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Traci and Brynn Tegman spend quality time with Nala, a two-year-old English golden retriever, July 15 at Central Washington University’s Moore Hall in Ellensburg.
“With the dogs they learn the parts of the dogs, and the judge will say, ‘Point to the stop,’ and that’s between a dog’s eyes just a little bit higher than the eyes, and you have that with all the species, or they might ask, ‘What do the 4-H colors mean?’ or they’ll ask, ‘What breed is your dog?’ ‘What AKC group is your dog in?’ or ‘Where was your dog’s breed first originated?’ so you have that across every species.” Flyers welcoming new 4-Hers go up in schools, the 4-H Focus is an online newsletter put together by office manager Andrea Morse with descriptions of each project, and Morse links people with the club they’re interested in. “When people are new moving into the county, they want to plug their kids into neat, worthwhile activities, and a lot of 4-H kids come from parents who were prior 4-Hers because it’s been around for a long time,” Susan Bryant said. At dog fairs like the one Aug. 11, 15 and 17 in Yakima, there is showmanship, obedience, agility and costume dressing. Kids walk with their dogs through the air-conditioned 4-H building and greet the public at the Kittitas County Fair and, in preparation, there is a tradition to show dogs as therapy dogs in assisted living. “For dog agility, the border collies just sprint it up, and they’re super fast,” Susan Bryant said. “Goldens will do it out of a love for you, whereas border collies love it so much that they’re doing it for fun.”
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From left, Julianne Bryant, Amy Bryant, two- and 3 1/2-year-old English golden retrievers Roo and Nala, Brynn Tegman and Traci Tegman enjoy an afternoon walk at Central Washington University’s Moore Hall in Ellensburg.
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Washington state contingent brings civility to D.C. By Jake McNeal sports editor Telling the truth about agriculture is honest work. Beckett Landon and Elsie Cziske of Ellensburg, Dakota Rivera of Thorp, Mariah Moran of Washougal and Sam Hatrim-Lowe of Vancouver, delegates from “the real Washington,” set out for Citizenship Washington Focus, a week-long citizenship and leadership program for youth ages 14-19, in a June 30-July 9 trip to Washington, D.C. The five, in an experience led by Kittitas County 4-H Council secretary Rachel George, presented an action plan to shine light on the charity of agriculture where some including the People for the Ethical Treatment of animals believe that animals are raised to bring in the biggest profit. “We definitely need a lot more communication between each other in agriculture, because in reality we’re doing the best for the animals,” said Landon, who made his second D.C. venture and belongs to the On Target Shooting Sports Kittitas County 4-H as Cziske and Rivera are in Thorp 4-H, Moran hails from Skamania County 4-H and Hatrim-Lowe represents Clark County 4-H. The friends saw the sights between conference sessions at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda in Maryland, and they plan to start an education program about 4-H and making good choices. Cziske, an Ellensburg High School senior, and Moran have taken part in Know Your Government, which “empowers youth to be well-informed citizens who are actively engaged in their communities and the world,” and Moran, who just turned 19, wanted to make the tour of D.C. before she aged out of 4-H. “As 4-Hers, we have seen so many different ways that people have disrespected our projects, whether it be livestock or leadership, and we want people to understand where we as 4-H kids come from so that both parties can get another level of understanding and respect for the other,” Rivera said. “We want to promote civility in agriculture, starting with social media platforms that we can use to show people some things we do with our animals and an explanation on why we do it. The second part could be making posters to post on farms asking people to be respectful and to leave the fields and equipment alone.” George, 32, of Ellensburg, who made her sixth D.C. expedition and was a certified tour guide through the 4-H council after graduating from Central Washington University in 2011, is a Thorp 4-H leader in her 24th year as she’s spent the first 10 as a member and the last 14 in charge. She has a master’s in youth development, and her Clark County and Skamania County 4-H work was how she met Moran and Hatrim-Lowe. “It’s really great to see Beckett and Elsie, who don’t have livestock on their property, learn how to become involved in this process of how to be good citizens and how they can make their mark on the world,” George said. The task force came up with lists of words, relevant to the daily itinerary, that began with the letter of the day. “The thing that I liked most about going to D.C. and participating in the conference was purely the amount of things that I learned outside of a classroom,” said Cziske, whose 4-H project is leadership. “At the conference I learned what it means to be a citizen and be civil: We learned how to find fake news through SIFT, meaning you stop, investigate, find and trace all of your news. We are spreading the truths and ruling out the myths or misconceptions.” New friends from across the United States awaited the Washington state agents at the conference that last convened in 2019 before COVID-19 interruptions. All were asked to define citizenship, and workshops broke off into separate groups
From left, Dakota Rivera, Mariah Moran, Sam Hatrim-Lowe, Beckett Landon and Elsie Cziske show off their American pride in Kittitas County 4-H Council secretary Rachel George’s selfie on the Fourth of July in Washington, D.C. where they debated topics including dress codes — which many thought needed to loosen up — and gun control, where the room was split and several were neutral. “It was really informative in showing us how to debate and not argue, and in ways we can listen to others and hear others’ opinions and help them hear our opinions,” said Landon, who feels he’s “as wise as a 17-year-old can be.” George’s crew come up with things they wanted to do and see, and they all agreed that the Washington Metro was the biggest difference from home. The United States Holocaust Museum, full of disquieting truth that dispels misinformation, was the most impactful sight in the whirlwind affair. “Walking through that museum, it changes your perspective on life and the freedoms we have,” said George, who’s been through the museum many times and is always affected in some way. “Having a real-life glimpse of what it is, it’s always humbling for me as an adult processing all of that information.”
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Demonstration contest winners named
A total of 12 participants competed in this year’s 4-H Demonstration contest Below are the results: Intermediate (8 participated) Grand Champion: Dallon Walker Reserve Champion: Faith Rector Blue Rosette: Makenna Vraves Red Rosette: Remi Izzi White Rosette: Cade Bala Blue Ribbon-State Fair Qualified: Cade Bala, Olin Bala, Alex Bach, Faith Rector, Remi Izzi, Dallon Walker, Hailey Vraves and Makenna Vraves Senior (4 participated) Grand Champion: Julianne Bryant Reserve Champion: Beckett Landon
Blue Rosette: Seth Walker Red Rosette: Reid Bala Blue Ribbon-State Fair Qualified: Reid Bala, Julianne Bryant, Beckett Landon, and Seth Walker. All participants earned blue ribbons and are eligible to give their demonstrations at State 4-H Fair in Puyallup in September. Rosettes will be awarded at the Awards Ceremony on Labor Day. Sheep & Goat Judging Results The top 10 judging scores in each age division from Sheep and Goat Judging Contest held at Pre-Show on June 11: Junior 1.Ayven Moon, 271 2. BriaLynn Basterrechea, 245 3. Hannah Seldal, 231 4. Kelsey Moore, 220 5. Cora Rizor, 217 6. Allison Alder, 215 7. Makenzie Cox, 208 8. Norah Joyce, 204 9. Wade Schock, 203 10. Casen Peters, 202
Intermediate 1. Jalina Blackmore, 272 2. Adler Moon, 265 3. Georgina Anderson, 246 4. Chaeli Emery, 234 5. Hannah Moore, 231 6. Cecilia Fiske, 229 7. Nolan Sherley, 222 8. Elise Boitano, 218 9. Annabelle Nicholson, 216 10. Charlotte Nansel, 215 Senior 1. Olivia Mitchell, 274 2. Sienna Pascoe, 264 3. Bailey Sherley, 262 4. Kayliana Blackmore, 262 5. Chloe Clyburn, 247 6. Daniel Sullivan, 238 7. Aimee Becker, 235 8. Mackenzie Stansbury, 234 9. Bode Sherley, 232 10. Kaeden Musser, 230
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