Forms Due

If you have not already turned in the following for Jamboree, please bring them with you to the Tuesday 3/1 meeting:

1. Entry forms
2. Money for events and projects you are entering
3. Entries for Creative Writing

Horse Jamboree starts at 8:00 am on Saturday (3/26) and ends sometime Sunday afternoon (3/27).  Jamboree is in Ames and we have reserved a block of hotel rooms.  We will be discussing transportation to Ames and hotel rooms in upcoming meetings, so please be thinking about these.  Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend and help support Team Howard County!!

Forms and Projects Due SOON

At the next meeting, 2/22, please bring:

• The informational form/questionnaire for our group that was sent home
• Registration forms for Horse Jamboree
• Forms for any projects that you are entering
• Entry fees and fees for any projects that you are entering

*If you will be entering any Creative Writing projects (poetry,  essay or short story) those need to be turned in ASAP.  They need to be sent in by our extension office to ISU by Tuesday 3/1. 

All other projects - the actual project itself - will be turned in the first morning of Jamboree (Saturday 3/26).  Please start working on those so that they are ready and so that you can bring them to a meeting in March for the group to critique.

We also passed out an informational form for you to complete and return at the next meeting on 2/22.  This form tells us the project areas you will be entering, if you need a vest and hotel accommodations.   All very important information so that we can make sure everything goes smoothly at Jamboree.

TUESDAY 2/1 MEETING CANCELED

Tonight's meeting has been canceled due to weather.

If you have some extra time today (after you've made sure that your equine friends outside are well taken care of, of course) check out the links on the blog or find a comfy spot and spend some time going through all the great information in your binders!

Leg Anatomy

Jeff Carolan

Tuesday evening, 1/25, Jeff "Paco" Carolan was our guest speaker.  Jeff is a local farrier who has been trimming and shoeing horses in the area for over 11 years.  Jeff brought along 2 preserved horse legs from RCTC, different styles and sizes of shoes and his farrier tools.

The group reviewed leg anatomy using the preserved legs and posters that Jeff brought with him.  We also learned about different shoes and when to use them.  Next we learned about diseases of the legs and hooves.  Navicular, laminitis and white line disease were just some of the diseases affecting legs and feet that we discussed.

Jeff goes over leg anatomy

Jeff also talked to the group about the tools that farriers use.  We learned the proper names for each tool and what each tool is used for.  This was great practice for the Hippology portion of Horse Jamboree that the kids will go through in March.


Thanks, Jeff, for a great discussion and teaching us more about leg and foot anatomy and farriers.

January 18th Meeting

The agenda for the Tuesday January 18^th meeting included three guest speakers, some demonstrations and visual aids, and (of course) FUN! Our guest speakers were Carmen Milliren and Kate and Brian Speer.

Carmen Milliren, a former 4-Her, who now trains and shows horses in English and dressage and gives English lessons, covered all things English. She brought with two different kinds of saddles; dressage and jumper. She explained the difference between the two and showed us the different parts. Then she explained the different jumping events, for example, cross country. She passed around different bits and we learned how they work and what their names are too. Thanks Carmen! We really enjoyed having you talk to us!

Kate Speer securing a mantie

Next up was Brian and Kate Speer. They came to talk about mules and packing. Brian showed us different parts of the pack saddle and Kate showed us how to mantie our gear. They shared with us the basics of packing, how important balance is, and packing trips they’ve taken to the mountains of Wyoming. Equipment and it being used safely on the animal was another little interesting bit. Thanks Brian and Kate! We enjoyed learning about packing!

Brian Speer explaining proper packing

Afterward we had a quick tack game and everyone was headed home.  Don't forget, next week - the 25th - Jeff Carolan will be our guest speaker on hoof and leg anatomy and may have a very interesting visual aid for us.

Day Camp - Learning & Fun!

Steph Reicks welcoming everyone

16 Howard County 4-Hers attended the first ever Team Howard County Horse Project Day Camp on Tuesday, 12/28.

The day camp, organized by Andie Vsetecka and Steph Reicks, was a great way for 4-Hers in Howard county to get together to learn more about horses and the 4-H Horse Jamboree competition coming up in March 2011.

Participants started the day out by taking a tour of Featherlite, hosted by their National Sales Manager, Randy Lewis.  Randy had 3 different types of livestock and horse trailers for us to look at and answered all of the group's great questions about trailer designs and uses.  Thanks, Randy!!

Then it was back to the Cresco Public Library for more horse talk.  The afternoon started off with a mock Quiz Bowl - much like the one that participants will compete in at the 4-H Horse Jamboree in Ames, March 26-27.  3 teams of 5 went up against each other answering questions ranging from veterinarian-stumping horse anatomy and genetics questions to basic horse information that all horse owners should know.

Tim Christopher explaining harness parts

Next up was the guest speaker, Tim Christopher.  Tim uses Mules on his farm, breaks and trains horses and also makes and sells harnesses, saddles and other tack from his workshop.  He talked to the group about mules and drafts and explained the harnesses used on different types of horses and mules doing different types of work all across the U.S.  Tim even shared his notebook with drawings and notes from his mule and horse related experiences traveling throughout the U.S.  Tim is full of information about horses and mules and the group really enjoyed listening to him.  Thanks, Tim!!

The participants finished off the day by diving into horse anatomy.  5 stations were set up using the laminated posters from the Horse Learning Laboratory Kit the horse project owns.  These laminated posters range from basic anatomy to skeletal and hoof anatomy.  One side shows the "answers" and the other side has velcro places for 4-Hers to place the names of the different parts.  This kit is a great resource.

The Day Camp was a great success with lots of fun and learning and hopefully will continue on for years to come.  A huge thank you goes out to Steph and Andie for coming up with the idea and for organizing and leading it, a big thank you to everyone that participated and (last but not least) another big thank you  to the leaders and parents that support all of these kids so that they can learn and grow through horses and 4-H!!

Timing is Everything!

Team Howard County Horse Jamboree Meeting Schedule:

• Christmas Break
• Tues 12/28 Day Camp 10am to 4pm at the Library
• Tues 1/4 Meeting 2pm to 4pm at the Library
• Regular Meetings
• Starting Tuesday 1/11 and every Tuesday up to 3/22
• 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
• All meetings (except the 2/22 & 3/1 meetings) will be at the Cresco Public Library

**Don't forget to bring a piece of tack with you to each meeting

Hitchin' Our Hinny Day Camp

Hope everyone is registered for our first ever Team Howard County Day Camp!

The camp will be held on Tuesday 12/28 from 10:00-4:00 at the Cresco Public Library.

We'll be taking a tour of Featherlite, listening to our guest speakers -- Tim Christopher and Tammy Helmers  -- talk about mules, horses and hauling horses, playing some games, making some horse treats and going through a mock Horse Jamboree Quiz Bowl.  It's going to be a busy, fun-packed day!!

                                                                       Hope to see you there!!

Horse Judging Contest Results!

Congratulations to Team Howard County!!
Howard County participated in the State 4H judging contest on November 6th in Iowa Falls at the Ellsworth Equestrian Center. The competition included more than 60 4H members from around the state. The contestants participated as individuals and as teams of Junior and Senior 4H members.
the placings are divided out by
1. Placings ( correct placing of the class)
2. Oral reasons where the 4H member has to defend his/her placing to a judge and is judged on content, poise, and accuracy of their presentation.
3. Overall – is the combination of 1 and 2

The participants are competing both as individuals and teams for these categories.

The following youth participated in the contest: ( I only have the top 20 placing)
Seniors as individuals
Andie Vsetecka finished 7th in placings and 15th overall
This senior team finished 5th Placings, Oral reasons and overall
Members were
Andie Vsetecka
Steph Reicks
Rachel Stika
Shea Peckham

Juniors(individual)
Kate Grover finished 1st in placing, 1st in oral reasons, and 1st overall
Emi Frohn finished 10 in placings and 14th overall
Natalie Knobloch finished 3rd in placings and 7th overall
Abigale Kennon finished 10th in oral reasons
Judd Grover finished 8th in placings and 11th overall

We had 2 junior teams competing

Junior team Green
Emi Frohn
Kate Grover
Thea Hatzel
This team finished 1st in placings, 6th in reasons and 4th overall
Junior team White
Judd Grover
Abigale Kennon
Natalie Knobloch
This team finished 4th in placings, 5th in reasons and 6th overall

2011 Horse Jamboree Practice Starting Soon......

It's time to start practicing for the 2011 4-H Horse Jamboree!  The first meeting will be Tuesday December 14th at the Extension office in Cresco.  5:30 pm start time.

We'll welcome all new members, go over the practice schedule, discuss the Team Howard County Day Camp and even dig right in and start working on Breeds of Horses with Darlene.  Look for more information coming out in the 4-H newsletter and also emails out to remind current members.

4-H Horse Jamboree is a 2 day event held each spring in Ames, on the Iowa State campus. This year's event will be March 26-27.  4-H members compete as individuals and teams in different events such as quiz bowl and hippology.  Additionally, 4-hers can also compete in anything from the Toy Horse Show to entering horse related projects, such as photos, stories or drawings.  There are also opportunities for 4-Hers to present horse related communications projects such as speeches, presentations or team presentations.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend the Team Howard County Horse Project practice meetings, so encourage all of your friends to come see what it's all about.  Members don't have to own a horse or even know anything about horses.  The whole idea is to learn more about everything to do with horses.

Hope to see you there!!!

links to halter powerpoint presentations

Texas A&M Online horse judging - many classes
http://animalscience.tamu.edu/academics/equine/online-judging/archives/index.htm

More powerpoints for halter practice
http://naae.ca.uky.edu:8080/clearspace_community/thread/1316;jsessionid=24D72C3C20125BB2F33C15602DE101BD

Resources
http://www.4hhorse.umd.edu/resources/horsejudging.html
http://msucares.com/4h_Youth/horse_judging/practice.html

Links to horse games and powerpoints

Below are links to a variety of games and powerpoints you can access to use for your "Homework" for the week of 10/4/10

Home work assignment -
Seniors prepare a set of reasons for 4 horses in any halter class
Juniors prepare a set of reasons for any 2 horses in a halter class

http://aged.ces.uga.edu/games/horse_judging.htm
http://www.horse-games.org/Horse_Judging.html

Let the FUN Begin!

First Horse Project Judging Meeting 9/20/10

The first meeting was held Monday 9/27 in the Extension office.  We practiced judging several different classes of horses and worked on giving oral reasons.  Everyone did a great job and we're going to have some very talented participants from Howard County at the competition in November. 

Remember to tell other 4-Hers in the area, that you think might be interested, about our meetings.  Horse judging not only teaches you more about horses, it also helps build your communication and reasoning skills......plus we have a LOT of FUN!!

The next meeting is MONDAY 9/27 in the Extension office from 5:30 - 7 pm.  We'll have pizza, so bring your $2 and something to drink.

Horse Judging Meetings Start!

Welcome back to horse judging meetings!
Please invite anyone that you think would be interested.

I am looking forward to seeing you on the following dates


Monday Sept 13 6 to 7 new members and welcome back! @ Farm Bureau
Monday Sept 20 5:30 to 7 @ Extension Office

Monday Sept 27 5:30 to 7 @ Extension Office

Monday Oct 4 5:30 to 7 @ Farm Bureau

Monday Oct 11 5:30 to 7 @ Farm Bureau

Sunday Oct 17 4 to 5:30 @ Extension Office

Monday Oct 25 5:30 to 7 @ Extension Office

Tues Nov 2 5:30 to 7 @ Farm Bureau

Horse judging Coming SOON

It is time once again to start thinking about horse judging! see the updated link on the right

We have had so much fun and have learned so much over the past 2 years I am excited to get going again this year!! Please pass this information on to any interested 4H’rs!

The best news is they have moved this contest back to November 6 AND it is closer to home! This year it will be held at Ellsworth Community College Equestrian Center, Iowa Falls, IA

I am thinking we will start Monday night sessions again in September

Tentative dates are

September 13, 20, 27

October 4, 11, 18, 25

November 1

That gives us 8 sessions prior to the contest – sound ok to all of you?

See you soon!!!

Darlene

Wednesday June 9 workout starting at 6PM

If the weather cooperates...
For this weeks workout -we will be having a horse show/clinic officiated by Aimee Rieland from Spring Valley Minnesota
Please be ready at 6PM for showmanship classes followed by western pleasure and horsemanship , and English pleasure and equitation for those interested. Those not participating in English classes will be practicing trail

no special dress required this is a clinic to help you see how the actual show will go at the fair and also to let Aimee give you some pointers!!

I hope to see you all tomorrow night!!

Dont forget drill team at 5PM - I think flags will be added this week yipee!!

Darlene

Horse clinic rescheduled due to weather!!

Tonights clinic with Rose Dykstra on natural horsemanship is going to have to be cancelled due to the severe weather heading our way.

We will reschedule for thursday this week June 3rd  5:30pm at the Cresco Saddle Club arena  -

ALSO we will be watching the weather for tomorrow nights workout as well..

We do have a mock clinic/show scheuduled for next week wednesday June 9th during our regular work out time.   We will have a visiting judge here to help us with that. Her name is Aimee Rieland, she has shown and trained pleasure horses for many years and is an excellent resource for us!!

barrel Clinic

We had a wonderful day at the 4H barrel clinic today (Saturday May 22). Lots of new techniques learned, and some nice barrel runs.  The weather was awesome and we had a great turn out of kids. Thanks to Wendy for all her help!!  The fastest time turned in on the second run was by Kate Grover, the most improved rider/horse of the day was Shianne Throndson, with the runner up as Steph Riecks.

The link to the barrel runs are below. - These are posted on YouTube under user name Howardcountyiowa.
have a look..
http://www.youtube.com/user/howardcountyiowa

See you all on Wednesday night at the Cresco Saddle Club Arena - there is new sand in the arena and it looks great!!
Drill team - 5pm
everyone else 6pm

Horse Workout Wednesday 5/12/10

Well – I think it is a little too wet and cold for horse workouts tonight …


I would like everyone to come for about an hour of rock picking(without horses) – we have one more round of picking to do and then the saddle club will put on a layer of sand on top of the current sand in the arena – if we get them picked now, they won’t keep popping up on the new sand!!

So – hopefully I will see all of you tonight at 530 or 6 for a short rock picking night.

Hope for better weather next week!!

Darlene Vsetecka 641-330-7187

Celebration Party!!

For horse learning workshops participants and familes!!

Wednesday April 14th at Mabes Pizza in Cresco
5pm-?
All you can eat pop and pizza buffet $6 for adults, $5 for kids 12 and under

Bring your ribbons from the Jamboree!!

featuring a quiz bowl between parents and kids!!