[ad_1]

At age 6, 4-H Cloverbud Ellie Hodge knows a lot about showmanship. After all, it’s one of her favorite things about working with horses.

Before a show, she’ll pretend she’s practicing at home and talk to her horse to settle her nerves.

“I’ll talk about having fun with my horse,” she said. Then, she’s ready to compete.

Ellie and her nine-year-old sister Aubrey are members of Monroe County 4-H Unlimited Horse Power. Their mom, Katelyn Hodge, leads the group.

“I showed horses but I never showed 4-H,” Katelyn said. “As soon as Aubrey turned 5, she was a Cloverbud, so I thought let’s get started as soon as we can. She was the youngest in the 4-H group that we joined. The next year, everyone graduated so I kept the group going.”

Last year, despite the coronavirus pandemic, the club had eight members and met through online activities. This year, 20 members will be able to participate in scheduled 4-H horse competitions at the Monroe County Fair.

Katelyn, 33, knows a lot about horses. She grew up around them and has enjoyed working with them since she was four years old.

Caring for horses has always been a big part of Katelyn’s life and when her children were old enough to sit on a saddle, she introduced the girls to some of her favorite equines.

The Hodge family works with six different horses: Sonny, an Appaloosa; Quarter Horse Savannah and four miniature horses – Kiss, Fletcher, Russell and La La. The Hodges own and board Sonny, Savannah and Kiss while Katelyn’s aunt, Christine Hass of Erie, owns and boards Fletcher, Russell and La La.

The girls will be competing throughout Monroe County Fair week. Ellie will show Sonny and Russell and Aubrey will show Sonny and La La.

Through showmanship, they will exhibit how to properly care for their horse and how to show their animal to its best advantage. Morning shows are scheduled throughout the week along with two night shows in the arena.

Katelyn said there’s several advantages to working with and showing horses and ponies. For 4-H members, it builds their self-confidence and teaches them responsibility.

“We do something with the horses every day,” Katelyn said. “Whether it’s brushing them, riding, jumping or showing. Training is done in the evenings. Being a working mom, evening is our only option.”

When it comes to competing, Katelyn said, “Confidence is huge. You have to know what you’re doing and have fun with it. Judges like clean horses that are clipped and bathed.”

Katelyn said the group will compete in a variety of activities including Western and English riding. In Western riding, the ride is at a slower pace and the rider uses one hand to hold the reins. In English riding, the rider takes the reins in both hands and uses them to control the speed and direction of the horse. The miniature horses are used in jumping competitions.

Top competitors can receive trophies, ribbons and monetary awards.

“The kids love the trophies and ribbons,” Katelyn said. “We have a whole wall with lattice and they hang all their ribbons on it. It’s the coolest thing.”

Katelyn said over the years, the best lesson she’s learned from working with horses is “it’s unpredictable.”

“You put in a lot of hard work and time. Sometimes you come out a winner and sometimes you don’t,” she said. “You learn something new every show. It’s so much work owning horses but it’s worth it. I love everything about horses. They make life so interesting and fun.”

Riding and spending time with Sonny, La La and Savannah is what Aubrey likes best.

“I talk to them. Sometimes I talk about how my day is going and how happy my horse makes me,” Aubrey added. “Working with horses is fun and they like to be scratched.”

In addition to 4-H, during the summer, the Hodge family competes on weekends at Floral City Circuit at the fairgrounds and Tri-County Horseman’s Association in Milan.

Adblock test (Why?)

[ad_2]

Source link