4-H Horse Judging Team hones skills, competes successfully

State Horse & Pony Judging Contest participants were Putnam County Horse Judging Team members (front, from left) Aubrey Summers, Ethan Trissel, Callie Buckman and Bella Monnett, and (back, from left) Emma Summers, Sydney Moore, Izzy Summerlot, Leah Sallee, Ella Dye-Thomas, Rachel Sallee and Austin Nickerson.

Courtesy photo

The Putnam County Horse Judging Team spent the past eight months learning how to evaluate and judge horses of all breeds and riding disciplines, how to present and defend their placings, preparing to compete in contests and developing life skills.

Coached by Lisa Pitts, with the assistance of Shea Mahoney-Sutherland, various team members attended and competed in three different contests this spring.

The first test of the team’s skills came April 13 at the Saint Mary-of the-Woods Invitational in Terre Haute. The Junior Team of Callie Buckman, Bella Monnett, Sydney Moore and Izzy Summerlot brought home first place with several members placing individually as well. Buckman captured first with Summerlot in second and Moore third.

April 27 was the next event at the Marshall County Invitational, sponsored by Ancilla College, in a contest recognizing contestants’ accomplishments in various divisions in addition to overall placings individually and as a team.

In the Reasons Division, Junior members Buckman placed first and Monnett took ninth individually. Overall, the Junior Team of Monnett, Buckman and Ethan Trissel brought home top honors.

The final test of members’ skills came at the State Horse and Pony CDE (Career Development Event) May 11 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds where Putnam County was represented by two junior teams and a senior team.

In the Senior Division, the team of Rachel Sallee, Austin Nickerson, Ella Dye-Thomas and Emma Summers placed sixth. In the Junior Division the team of Monnett, Trissel and Aubrey Summers took sixth, while the team of Buckman, Moore, Leah Sallee and Summerlot placed second in the Reasons Division and third overall.

Individually, Putnam County had several members in the top 10 of the Reasons Division with Buckman sixth, Summerlot seventh and Moore eighth. Also in the Junior Division, Buckman ranked seventh overall.

Coach Lisa Pitts praised the team’s efforts.

“It’s exciting to have a strong horse judging program that continues to grow, and this is just a fantastic group of kids,” she said. “They work together, support each other and the results at each contest are just a small measure of the personal accomplishments every team member has made this year, I just could not be more proud of these kids.

“While most of these kids won’t judge or compete after 4-H,” Pitts continued, “the life skills and self confidence they have developed through participation in the horse judging team will be valuable to them throughout their lifetime.”

The team is on a break through the summer and early fall and will resume practices mid-October.