July 20, 2021
By: Leigh Fuson, 4-H Agent
The DeKalb County 4-H horse judging team recently traveled to the National Walking Horse Celebration grounds in Shelbyville to compete at the state level. This was the first time in several years a team from DeKalb County has qualified to attend.
After competing and qualifying in a virtual regional contest, Briona Agee, Riley Fuson, and Hannah Redmon spent part of their summer break studying and practicing for the state contest. Participants must learn about several disciplines of riding including western pleasure, hunter under saddle, horsemanship, and performance Walking Horses, as well as conformation and halter classes. The state contest also requires three sets of oral reasons of why youth placed the class the way they did. This requires communication skills, confidence, and quick thinking in addition to horse knowledge.
At the end of a long day of competition, teams gathered for an awards dinner where winners were announced. DeKalb 4-H placed 8th overall. “They represented our county and the Central Region very well. This was all three team member’s first time giving horse judging reasons and competing at this high level. We know they will only continue to improve in the coming years,” said 4-H Agent Leigh Fuson.
For more information about horse judging or any other 4-H activity, please call 615-597-4945 or email lfuson2@utk.edu. 4-H is the Youth Development program for University of Tennessee and Tennessee State University Extension. 4-H teaches leadership, citizenship, and life skills to more than 302,000 youth in grades 4-12. UT/TSU Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment through the cooperation of county, state, and federal governments.