For the second year in a row, the Virginia 4-H horse judging team won the 2018 Eastern National 4-H Roundup Championship. The hippology team earned the reserve championship.

The Eastern Nationals competition was held Nov. 2-4, 2018, in Louisville, Kentucky, at the state’s exposition center during the North American International Livestock Exposition. 

“It was just as exciting to win again this year,” said Leona Ransdell, 4-H horse program and youth equine Extension program associate with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal and Poultry Science. “We had an extremely talented group going in, and I knew they had the ability to do it. I’m proud of how they represented their state at this prestigious event. Of the five judging contests we participated in, our team members won champion or reserve champion in three events – an impressive feat!”

Congratulations to the following Virginia 4-H team members for their placements.

Horse judging
Team: Caroline Perkins, Katie Define, Nikki Novak, Emily Dougherty

Halter:
Nikki Novak – 1st Individual
Emily Dougherty – 6th Individual
Virginia – 1st Team

Performance:
Emily Dougherty – 3rd Individual
Nikki – 4th Individual
Katie Define – 6th Individual
Caroline Perkins – 9th Individual
Virginia – 1st Team

Reasons:
Nikki Novak   – 1st Individual
Caroline Perkins – 3rd Individual
Emily Dougherty – 7th Individual
Katie Define – 9th Individual
Virginia – 1st Team

Overall:
Nikki Novak – 1st Individual
Emily Dougherty – 2nd Individual
Katie Define – 5th Individual
Virginia – 1st Team Overall

Hippology
Team: Charlotte Manvell, Emily Wright, Ruth Martin, Laurel Pollock

Written phase:
Charlotte Manvell – 2nd Individual
Virginia – 2nd Team

Judging phase:
Ruth Martin – 5th Individual
Virginia – 4th Team

Stations:
Charlotte Manvell – 3rd Individual
Virginia – 2nd Team

Team problem:
Virginia – 1st Team

Individual overall:
Charlotte Manvell – 2nd Overall

Team overall:
Virginia – 2nd Overall

Individual presentation
Sydney Hudson – 4th

The Virginia 4-H horse bowl team, consisting of Claire Edwards, Kate Hudson, Meghan Peterson, Sarah Foster, and public speaking competitor Taryn Cowles also deserves congratulations for its selection to compete in the national competition, which included teams from 26 states. In addition, Charlotte Manvell (Orange County) spoke as the guest youth to approximately 750 attendees during a breakfast ceremony. Full results and photos are available online: http://www.4hroundup.com/results

“All of our teams worked very hard with weekly studies and practices leading up to these contests,” said Sandy Arnold, 4-H program and youth equine Extension associate with the college's Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences. “They went in very prepared, and I am proud to see that their hard work paid off with these great wins!”  

Last fall, the horse judging and hippology teams competed at the All American Quarter Horse Congress hippology contest in Columbus, Ohio. Of 17 teams competing from all over the nation (combining breed associations, FFA teams, and other 4-H teams), the Virginia hippology team earned third place overall and the horse judging team won fifth overall.

Over the summer, the state 4-H educational teams had great success at the Southern Regional competition. The hippology teams placed third and sixth overall, competing against 16 teams, and the horse bowl team placed eighth overall out of 18 teams. The two horse judging teams won second and fourth place overall against 16 teams. The communications contestants earned two first places, a second, a fifth, and a 10th. 

The 4-H horse program depends on the financial support of donors. Donations may be made online at the Virginia Tech Foundation giving page: https://ext.vt.edu/4h-youth/horse/giving.html. Please designate donations to the VA 4-H horse program.

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