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Twenty-third Annual
4-H Horse Camps a Success
The 2010 twenty-third annual Waubonsie 4-H
Horse Camps were a huge success.
Twenty-nine
campers and five high school age camp counselors
attended the June 3-5 Horse Camp and 30 campers and
one college age camp counselor attended the June 5-7
Horse Camp. Campers from Iowa, Nebraska, and
Missouri enjoyed a fun and productive weekend with
their
4-H horses. “The Fremont County Fairgrounds and
Sidney Iowa Rodeo Arena are great facilities that
ensure a safe environment for young riders with
horses,” says Andrea Rexroth, Fremont County Program
Coordinator. “We
have some excellent volunteers that do a great job
of instructing.” The purpose of the horse camp is to
help 4-H’ers learn and improve riding skills,
prepare for exhibiting and learn about horse care
while eating good food and meeting new friends.
The campers
ranged from age 12 to 18 years old.
“We typically
see a huge improvement in confidence and ability of
those younger riders,” indicates Tonya Hutt,
Waubonsie Horse Camp Coordinator.
Tonya Hutt, Fremont County 4-H Alumni and
past participant, coordinated this year’s camp.
Assisted by
very dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers, Tonya
shared her knowledge and equine skills to make a
memorable horse camp weekend for the 4-H’ers.
Rexroth says,
“The success of our 4-H program would not be what it
is without the help of dedicated people willing to
share their experiences, time, and expertise for the
development of our youth.”
During the first camp, 4-H’ers were divided
into five smaller groups and partnered with High
School age 4-H members as counselors. Campers were
assisted by their counselors, camp volunteers, and
presenters individually to improve their equine
skills. Campers spent much of their time on
horseback learning different leads and developing
riding skills. The
horses benefit by working near other non-familiar
horses.
“Throughout twenty-three years of 4-H horse camps,
over 834 kids have become better horsemen and better
people because of this program.
That
indicates to me that there is still a viable need
for the 4-H horse camp to provide a positive
experience in young people’s lives,” says Rexroth.
Plans for the
twenty-fourth annual camp are already underway.
Special presentations at this year’s camps
were by Morgan Snyder; Danielle Burns; Maryville
Veterinary Clinic: Dr. David Frueh, Dr. Patrick
O’Connell and Dave Beason; Glenn Reed, Kelli Paulson
Plowman. Thanks to a $300 grant from the Iowa Horse
Council, Fremont County Extension was able to
recruit this year’s qualified speakers.
Other key volunteers donating their time to
prepare food in the food shack, as riding
instructors, helping kids with horse tack, or
providing general supervision were:
Carol Carver; Terry Anderson; Krista Wilson;
Sandy Apperson; Doug Jamison; Monica Carlson; Sheryl
Kirkpatrick; Desirae Martin; Amy Wyman; Larry
Glasgow; Emily Aistrope; Heidi Lowthorp; Jessica
Lowthorp; Billy Dyke; Bailey Wilson; Irene Pauley:
Fred Peterson; Tami Hall.
Thanks to the Fremont County Fair Board for
use of the fairgrounds and horse barns; the Sidney
Iowa Rodeo Board for the use of the rodeo arena and
facilities; the Waubonsie Saddle Club for use of
horse panels and showers; HyVee and Fairway for
assistance with camp food; and the Sidney American
Legion Club for use of the club as a backup shelter
in case of bad weather.
Iowa State University
Extension programs are available to all without
regard to race, color, national origin, religion,
sex, age or disability.
http://www.snyderperformancehorses.com/index.html
www.dbpleasurehorses.com
www.trailriderchallenge.com
http://www.iowahorsecouncil.org/
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