Easy Riders compete at 4-H State Competition
The Easy Riders 4-H Horse Club. Pictured are team members Charlee Draeger, Kenna Stanley, Hailee Sharp, Madeline and Lauren Voorhees, and coach Leslee Stanley.
Courtesy photo
Oct. 2-8 is National 4-H Week and several members of the local Easy Riders 4-H Horse Club made the trip to the Idaho State Competition in Nampa.
The team consisted of members Charlee Draeger, Kenna Stanley, Hailee Sharp, as well as Madeline and Lauren Voorhees.
The team qualified for state competition based upon their finish at the recent Shoshone/Kootenai County regional competition in Coeur d’Alene.
As a team, the Easy Riders competed in the Horse Bowl, a knowledge-based, Q&A-style competition.
“This was this team’s first experience in competing at this level,” local 4-H leader Leslee Stanley — the team’s coach, explained. “The questions were mainly horse-science related and difficult for our younger and first-year members. It was a great experience, and they are already studying for next year.”
Team members Charlee Draeger and Kenna Stanley also competed in the 4-H State Oral Presentation Competition, a timed presentation where the contestants have to explain a specific process.
The pair won Grand Champion at the recent Shoshone/Kootenai County regional competition, which qualified them for the state competition.
Draeger told the audience the different parts of a saddle and explained their use, while Stanley showed how to properly saddle a horse — including the importance of wearing a helmet while working around horses and how to tie a latigo knot.
For their efforts, they were awarded Grand Champion.
4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development.
In the United States, the organization is administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, responsibility, and life skills of youth through experiential learning programs and a positive youth development approach.
Though typically thought of as an agriculturally focused organization as a result of its history, 4-H today focuses on citizenship, healthy living, science, engineering and technology programs.
For more information on the Easy Riders, contact Leslee Stanley at 208-512-1566.