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State 4-H Horse Expo slated for July
Published Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 12:30 PM
LINCOLN, Neb. -- The best rated young riders at the six 4-H District Horse Shows in Nebraska will meet July 13-17 at Fonner Park in Grand Island for the 2008 Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Exposition.

Kathy Anderson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension horse specialist, said the event has really great impacts for 4-H'ers.

"It has been a tremendous character-building event," she said. "There's just a lot of educational benefits that come out of it."

Anderson said the exposition, which has been ongoing since 1976, helps youth gain organizational skills as well as horse skills as they prepare for and compete in the event. She said she expects 500 to 600 youth to compete. While certain events require qualification from the district horse shows, other state events can be entered into without qualification.

Anderson also said the event helps Nebraskans come together.

"It's a very special event for (4-H'ers)," she said. "It brings together people from the entire state."

The schedule for the 2008 exposition begins July 13 with horse show check-in from 4-8 p.m. The junior and senior hippology contest of oral presentations, written exams and stations starts at 6 p.m. with check-in at 5:30 p.m.

July 14 events begin at 7:30 a.m. with halter classes and showmanship trials. At 8:30 a.m., interviews for the R.B. Warren and Grand Island Saddle Club Scholarship will begin. The judging contest, judging phases of the hippology contest and showmanship finals also are scheduled July 14. Results of the judging and hippology contests are announced at 6:30 p.m. followed by the trail horse competition at 7 p.m.

The first events for July 15 include the English pleasure and English equitation finals at 7:30 a.m. Also scheduled are western horsemanship, hunter hack and 2-year-old western pleasure trials.

Three-year-old western pleasure finals are at 10 a.m. while finals for western pleasure ponies are at 10:30 a.m. Finals for the hunter hack, western pleasure, 2-year-old snaffle bit western pleasure and western horsemanship contests are at 6:30 p.m. The day's activities end with a 4-H exhibitor party from 9-11:30 p.m.

Western riding at 7:30 a.m. will start July 16 events. The rest of the day's events include advanced western equitation, western pleasure, English pleasure and English horsemanship. Other events include pole bending, barrel racing, dressage and reining.

On July 17, the final day of the exposition, working ranch horse competitions will begin at 7 a.m. At 8 a.m., break-a-way calf roping, calf roping and dally roping contests begin.

For more information about the 2008 Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Exposition, visit the Web at http://www.animalscience.unl.edu/extension/equine/4H/districtstateshows/state.html.

All events are free and open to the public. Fonner Park, the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce and UNL Extension in the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources sponsor the event.

© 2008 The Nebraska Rural Radio Association. All rights reserved.
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