Fort Collins, Colo. – The Boulder County 4-H Youth Horse Judging Team earned the privilege of representing Colorado 4-H at the national 4-H competition in January following a hard-earned state championship in a very close contest at the Colorado State 4-H Conference. The annual competition was held at the Equine Center at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Colo. on June 19, 2024 as part of the three-day leadership conference. This coveted title also earns them the chance to represent Colorado 4-H at select national competitions throughout the next year, including the American Paint Horse Association HorseIQ World Championship Youth Horse Judging Contest on Saturday, June 22, 2024 in Fort Worth, TX.
Teams from counties across Colorado competed in the day-long contest and the Boulder County 4-H Senior Team came out on top in three of the four categories (Halter, Reasons and Overall) and won the championship by a mere eight points. Team members include: Clara DeSouza of Erie, Colo., Rhiannon McDermid of Berthoud, Colo., Mattea McQueen of Berthoud, Colo., and Audrey Wright of Erie, Colo. Among over 25 peers, Boulder County boasted four of the top ten overall individuals with Clara dominating every category of competition to earn High Individual honors by five points, a beautiful champion buckle and a scholarship courtesy of the CSU Animal Sciences Department. This team state championship marks the tenth state championship for the county program since 2002. As individuals, Rhiannon was fourth in halter and fourth overall, Mattea was fifth in halter, third in reasons and fifth overall and Audrey was second in halter and tenth overall.
The team is coached by Kendra McConnell of Longmont, Colo. who was successful as a Boulder County 4-H youth at the Colorado State 4-H Conference many times as well as other national level competitions including U.S. Arabian & Half-Arabian National Championship Youth Judging Contest, Paint World, Quarter Horse Congress, Quarter Horse Youth World and 4-H National Roundup. She also coaches the Colorado Arabian Horse Club/Region VIII Youth Horse Judging Team.
Competitive horse judging offers an exciting and challenging opportunity for youth to further their knowledge of horses. Team members evaluate horse conformation and performance, while developing skills such as critical thinking, public speaking and team building. Contestants are scored based on how close their placings of mock classes are to the official panel. Then they deliver a two minute, memorized oral defense of their placing of certain classes called reasons.
To support travel expenses, the team will host a Team Benefit Open & 4-H Horse Show in the Indoor Arena at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont, Colo. on Saturday, July 27th. Any age and level of horses and riders are welcome. There are many ways to support these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities including showing, donating to the team, becoming a show sponsor and donating or purchasing items in the silent auction. Visit our Facebook page @Boulder County 4-H Horse Judging Team or email bouldercountyhorsejudging@gmail.com to learn more.
The Boulder County 4-H Horse Judging Team will kick off the spring season in January with a fun potluck at the Boulder County Fairgrounds and will have limited space for new members to join. Learn more about the team and competitive horse judging plus fulfill the 4-H judging requirement. Enrollment in the 4-H horse project is not required. For more information, find the team on Facebook or email bouldercountyhorsejudging@gmail.com.
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