Burnet 4-H Horse Club riders saddle up for performance show
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
BURNET — The first step toward the District 7 horse show for members of the Burnet 4-H Horse Club is the Performance Ranch Horse Show on April 25-26.
The event is at the Blue Bonnet Arena, 920 CR 112.
Riders, which could be as few as 30 and as many as 50, and horses will participate in numerous events in preparation for the district show in Llano on June 23. It includes 23 counties.
Events are divided into a performance division, a security division and a speed event division.
“It’s open to all youth 18 and under, and we’ll follow the 4-H rule book in all classes,” said horse club parent coordinator Kelly Haydon. “All youth are welcome to ride. We encourage 4-H enrollment, but it’s not required.”
It’s free to compete in or watch as a spectator.
Hayden compared being a horseman or horsewoman to playing for a team.
“You have to practice, you go compete,” she said. “It gives these kids something to do, and the show offers up what they’ve learned.”
Some colleges award equestrian team scholarships. These shows give students a chance to compete and colleges a chance to see them, Haydon said.
Aside from competing, the other benefit to signing up is getting horses validated, Haydon said, which is similar to someone signing up to be a member of club. The cost is $10.
“The 4-H home office verifies ownership,” she said. “The 4-H kid has to own the horse. It’s a way of verifying ownership.”
The South Region 4-H Horse Show involves 13 states and is scheduled for later this summer.
Call Haydon at (830) 265-8048 for more information.
jfierro@thepicayune.com