Published on 06/30/21

Georgia 4-H'ers qualify for Southern Regional Horse Championships

By Heather Shultz

The 2021 Georgia 4-H State Horse Show, hosted by Georgia 4-H, was held at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry June 8-12. Overall, 157 youth participated in the competition.

Through the Georgia 4-H Horse Program, youth learn life skills including leadership, teamwork and problem-solving. In addition, they develop character traits of responsibility, discipline and respect.

“Enthusiasm and camaraderie reigned supreme during the five-day horse show where 4-H’ers, their families and horses came together for the first in-person equine competition in over a year,” said Julia McCann, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension animal and dairy science equine specialist. “Showing in Sutherland and the new Perdue Arena was exciting and consolidated the performances to ease the ability to support and enter across-discipline shows.”

The State Horse Show provides the opportunity for youth to ride in five different disciplines as well as participate in a written quiz on horsemanship and 4-H knowledge. Overall, there were 89 classes in five divisions including ranch horse, stock seat, gaited/saddle seat, hunt seat and contest. In addition to the riding events, participants could choose to compete in horse method demonstrations, team demonstrations, public speaking, art and essay contests. All classes were judged by experienced equestrians and other experts.

From this event, 70 Georgia 4-H youth qualified to represent Georgia at the Southern Regional Horse Championships along with 4-H’ers from Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas in Perry from July 28 to August 1.

Scholarships, ribbons and special prizes for the show were donated by event sponsors including the Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Equine, Horseman’s Quarter Horse Association, Godfrey’s Feed and Stoney Fork Products. The high-point senior discipline winners will earn a $500 scholarship as well as Georgia Master 4-H’er status and be honored at Georgia State 4-H Congress in July in Atlanta. The reserve high-point senior discipline winners will receive a $300 scholarship.

Contest Events Division high-point winners:

Junior: Hannah Minchew, Towns County

Senior: Camille Johnson, Elbert County

Hunt Seat Division high-point winners:

Cloverleaf: Reagan Hendrix, Bulloch County

Junior: Hannah Minchew, Towns County

Senior: Emma Bayer, Cobb County

Ranch Horse Division high-point winners:

Cloverleaf: Sara Morgan Sapp, Burke County

Junior: Kaylee Cahill, Bleckley County

Senior: Emma Watson, Bulloch County

Gaited/Saddle Seat Division high-point winners:

Cloverleaf: Kamryn Vannier, Monroe County

Junior: Matthew Mullins, Thomas County

Senior: Savannah Conner, Fulton County

Stock Seat Division high-point winners:

Cloverleaf: Aubrey Icard, Houston County

Junior: Hannah Minchew, Towns County

Senior: Noel Pickel, Morgan County

Georgia 4-H empowers youth to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships and community awareness. As the largest youth leadership organization in the state, 4-H reaches more than 190,000 people annually through UGA Extension offices and 4-H facilities. For more information, visit georgia4h.org or contact your local Extension office.

Heather Shultz is a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension 4-H Livestock Specialist.

Authors:

Heather Shultz

Experts/Sources:

Julia S. McCann

A Georgia 4-H'er participates in the ranch horse competition at the Georgia 4-H State Horse Show.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Download Image

Georgia Simmons at the office of U.S. Sen. Warnock

CAES News

Georgia 4-H alum, CAES student spends semester serving at the nation's Capitol 12/03/24 Josie Smith, Cooper Hardy

Third-year University of Georgia student and Banks County 4-H alum Georgia Simmons has been in the center of the political action this fall with the Georgia 4-H Washington DC Intern Program. Simmons, an environmental resource science major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, works in the office of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. As an intern on his staff, she interacts directly with policy experts and lawmakers, participating in the legislative process while earning a semester of credit hours.

Seth McAllister and farmer Mark Daniel discuss crop production and agritourism.

CAES News

UGA Extension supports agritourism through expert advice and collaboration 10/24/24 Emily Cabrera

On a sunny day with bright-blue skies, I arrive at Mark’s Melon Patch in Sasser, Georgia, and immediately spot the familiar white University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pickup truck, the Terrell County Extension logo prominently displayed on the door. Seth McAllister, the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Terrell County, greets me with a broad grin and a firm handshake. Terrell County alone has 60,000 acres of row crops, half in cotton. But what McAllister loves most about his role as an Extension agent is the diversity of his work.

CAES News

Campers create lasting memories of summer at Georgia's 4-H centers 10/07/24 Josie Smith

By the end of his first week at 4-H summer camp, fifth grader Cooper Hardy already had many memories of new and exciting experiences. “That was the first time I got in a canoe,” Hardy said. “It was a big deal for me.” Now, 10 years later, Hardy serves as a Georgia 4-H camp counselor at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia. It’s a dream he’s held since the first time he set foot on the sprawling, wooded 1,500-acre campus as a camper.

Caroline Hinton is the director of experiential learning for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA)

CAES News

Director of experiential learning herds students toward new fields of education 10/02/24 Averi Caldwell

Caroline Hinton wants to foster a love of learning for all students who walk through her door. As the director of experiential learning for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Hinton helps students connect with their fields of study outside of the classroom. “I find joy and excitement in getting to watch students experience different parts of agriculture and find a place in our state’s own agriculture industry,” she said.

The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel saw some damage from the winds and rain of Hurricane Helene. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA)

CAES News

UGA weathers Hurricane Helene 09/27/24

The University of Georgia’s main campus was fortunate to emerge relatively unscathed after Hurricane Helene barreled through the state early Friday morning. However, the impact was more significant at our extended campus locations. While the UGA Griffin campus reported no major damage, UGA-Tifton was hit much harder, with dozens of downed trees and power outages, as well as flooding in several buildings. Damage to farm operations across south Georgia appears to be extensive.

Honorees at the 2024 State 4-H Congress included 4-H Green Jacket Award winner Jay Morgan, Master 4-H’er Vidhi Patel, Warnell Associate Dean for Outreach Nick Fuhrman for Warnell accepting the Friend of 4-H Award on behalf of the college, Georgia 4-H State President Kingston Ryals, William H. Booth Award winner Patrick Willis, and Ryles Rising Star Award Laura Mirarchi.

CAES News

Outstanding youth, supportive adults celebrated at Georgia 4-H State Congress 08/14/24 Josie Smith

Accomplished 4-H youth and the adults who empower them gathered at the 81st Georgia 4-H State Congress in Atlanta July 23-26. The weeklong event for top 4-H’ers features state-level Project Achievement and Leadership in Action competitions and recognizes youth development professionals and community supporters contributing to the success of 4-H in Georgia. More than 200 youth delegates competed in 50 Project Achievement areas and eight youth delegates competed in the Leadership in Action contest during annual event.