The following article written by Courtney Hicks, TWHYA Treasurer, is scheduled to appear in the Shelbyville Times Gazette.
4-H’s Partnership with the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeder’s and Exhibitors Association (TWHBEA)
by Courtney Hicks
My name is Courtney Hicks and I am a sophomore at Shelbyville Central High School. As a 4-H honor club & All Star member and treasurer of the TWHBEA Youth Board I want to share with you information on the cooperative effort between these two organizations which promotes opportunities for youth interested in the horse industry.
4-H, as we all know, offers numerous opportunities for youth to get involved in their community and learn more about the world around them. There are many different project areas from which a 4Her can choose from and many members participate in more than one project. Members are encouraged to keep detailed project record books which help us to learn organizational skills and on which we may be judged. Through work in projects and community service 4Hers become eligible for clubs such as All Stars and Honor Club.
My 4-H project area is the horse program and through it I have been afforded many opportunities to grow personally and learn so much about horses. We have a 4H Wrangler Club for horse enthusiasts and our members show a variety of breeds. Many of our members participate not only in showing horses, but judging and quiz bowl competitions as well.
The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association has been a great partner with 4H in offering some of the programs available to us. TWHBEA provides a free halter to any 4-H member who uses a registered Tennessee Walking Horse as their project animal and is a member of TWHYA, their youth organization. TWHBEA promotes the walking horse as the perfect 4-H mount due to its versatility, gentle disposition and success in competing in many disciplines such as barrel racing, reining and dressage, pole bending, pleasure, just to name a few. They offer a free judging video featuring Tennessee Walking Horses for 4Hers to use in honing their judging skills. TWHBEA will also sponsor ribbons for any 4-H horse show that includes classes for registered Tennessee Walking Horses. TWHBEA is a sponsor for both the 4-H Eastern National Roundup and the Western National Horse Classic.
TWHBEA sponsors an All Youth Day on the first Saturday of the The Celebration which includes a public speaking contest and a TWH Judging Contest. I have been fortunate to be on two winning 4-H teams in the judging contest thus far and received savings bonds to put towards my college education. Our Bedford County junior judging team took first place overall from a field of over 300 participants and we were honored in center ring several years ago. This year at the Celebration I almost loaded my plate too full as I was a participant in the judging contest for our 4-H senior high team as well as entered to show in a riding class with my pleasure horse I’m Austin Powers, both on the same morning! I was able to judge the last class, make a mad dash to get changed and we just made it to the warm-up area before our class was called for. I am happy to say that our judging team took first place in the senior non-reasons category this year and although Austin and I did not earn a ribbon that day I was fortunate to receive a fifth place honor later in the week with my performance horse, Bust Me Loose.
TWHYA members are encouraged to work on community service projects just as we are through 4-H, so participating in these type events goes hand in hand. This year my horse Austin and I have visited Bedford County Nursing Home patients for Valentine’s Day and have been asked to promote safety to neighboring county 4Hers. We have performed in a TWHBEA sponsored exhibition for all the school children in Woodbury and have performed the pleasure gaits of the TWH at an all breed horse expo in Murfreesboro.
One of the neatest experiences I have had as a 4Her was attending Academic Conference in Knoxville which TWHBEA also helps to sponsor. A select number of 4Hers are chosen for different areas of interest based on their record books to attend the conference and learn more about their project area. We spent several days in Knoxville doing such things as working in the UT horse science department, working with veterinarians, traveling and having fun.
My greatest honor so far in 4H came this year as I was awarded the 4-H Achievement Award for the State of Tennessee. This award is sponsored by TWHBEA and recognizes the outstanding 4-H horse project member using a registered Tennessee Walking Horse as a project animal for each state. Selections are made by the State Extension Horse Specialist and their judging panel and are based on the applicant’s 4-H record book and experiences. Award winners from the various states were recognized in center ring this year at the Celebration and later given a variety of gifts.
As a TWHYA youth board officer, my goal is to be able to work with TWHBEA and our 4-H organization as well as other walking horse industry groups and other breeds throughout the state to promote the organization of high school equestrian programs in Tennessee. This would be such a great opportunity for Tennessee high school youth and although I know it will be a difficult task I really think that with everyone working together we can accomplish this worthwhile goal.
I love the Tennessee Walking Horse! and the opportunities that I have been given through the cooperative relationship with 4-H and TWHBEA have enhanced this love even further. I want to thank both organizations for all they do and hope that more groups will partner with 4H to promote opportunities for youth. I encourage any youth who might be interested in horses to take advantage of all their great programs. Call the local 4-H extension office to join up and find out more about Tennessee 4-H at www.utextension.utk.edu.
