The Montgomery County Country Kids 4H team had a busy year in 2022! New contests were attempted, new members joined the club and there were several first time competitors as well as veterans who placed exceptionally well in the contests.
The club started out the year with regular hippology, horse judging, and horse bowl practices, which paid off at the first contest, put on by Virginia Tech’s Block and Bridle club in Blacksburg. Out of 34 junior teams made up of 128 individuals, our Junior Hippology team of Emma Kate Sazonov, Marybeth Martin, Emma Willey, and Kate Byron placed first in Exam/Slides, second in Stations/Judging, first in Team Problem, and won first place Overall Team. As individuals in Exam/Slides, Marybeth placed first and Emma Kate placed third; in Stations/Judging, Kate place seventh, Emma Kate placed ninth, and Emma placed tenth; and as individuals over the entire contest, Marybeth placed second, Emma Kate placed fourth, Kate placed tenth, and Emma placed 11th. Gretta also competed on a hippology team combining youth from other counties and they placed second on the Team Problem, ninth in Exam/Slides, 14 th in Stations/Judging, and eighth Overall Team.
The Country Kids Senior Hippology Team of Sarah Willey, Lucy Goyne, and Dawn Cornish placed 13 th in Exam/Slides and was 21 st out of 51 teams and 194 individuals. In the Horse Judging part of the contest there were 13 teams and 47 individuals competing. The Junior team of Emma Willey, Kate Byron, and Marybeth Martin placed first in Performance Horses, fourth in Reasons, and second Overall Team. As individuals, Marybeth placed second in Halter Horses, fifth in Performance Horses, first in Reasons, and first overall; Kate placed second in Performance Horses and seventh Overall; and Emma placed first in Performance Horses. Lucy Goyne also scrambled on a composite team for the Senior Judging contest and her team placed tenth Overall. This was a very strong showing for the Country Kids against a huge field of competitors!
In April, club members traveled to the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington to participate in the state-wide Equismartz competition. Competition kicked off Friday evening with the Communication Contests. Lucy Goyne, Emma Kate Sazonov, and Marybeth Martin had qualified for this earlier by creating presentations and performing them at the club and local level. At Equismartz, Lucy won sixth place for her Senior presentation on Equine Medicines, while Emma Kate and Marybeth earned first place for their Junior Team Presentation on the History of the Pony Express. On Saturday, the club competed in Horse Bowl, which is a fast-paced quiz game based on horse knowledge. The Senior team of Sarah Willey, Lucy Goyne, Dawn Cornish, and Abby Cummings placed fifth, and the Junior team, made up of Emma Kate Sazonov, Marybeth Martin, Emma Willey, Gretta Sazonov, and Avery Barnett from Wythe County, placed second. Based on individual points earned during the game, Emma placed ninth, Marybeth placed fourth, and Emma Kate placed first as the highest scoring Junior player.
The next phase of the Equismartz competition was Hippology, where the Senior team of Sarah Willey, Lucy Goyne, and Dawn Cornish placed sixth in Exam/Slides and Stations, seventh in Judging and Team Problem, and sixth Overall Team. As an Individual, Sarah placed fifth in Exam/Slides, tenth in Stations, and seventh Overall. Placing in the top eight senior individuals earned Sarah an invitation to compete nationally on the Virginia Hippology Team! Our Junior Hippology team of Gretta Sazonov, Emma Kate Sazonov, Emma Willey, and Marybeth Martin placed first in Exam/Slides, Stations, and Judging, fourth on Team Problem, and won first place Overall Team. As individuals, Gretta placed eighth in Exam/Slides, sixth in Stations, tenth in Judging, and sixth Overall; Emma Kate placed fourth in Exam/Slides, second in Stations, sixth in Judging, and third Overall; Emma placed seventh in Exam/Slides, fourth in Stations, fifth in Judging, and fourth Overall; and Marybeth placed first in Exam/Slides, third in Stations and Judging, and second Overall. Having all four Junior members in the top ten for each component of Hippology as well as all members placing in the top six individually was an amazing accomplishment!
The final phase of Equismartz was the Horse Judging competition, where Senior Dawn Cornish placed first in Performance Horses and sixth Overall, and Senior Lucy Goyne placed eighth in Reasons. The Junior team of Emma Kate Sazonov, Marybeth Martin, Emma Willey, and Kate Byron placed first in Performance Horses and Reasons, second in Halter Horses, and first Overall Team. As individuals, Emma Kate placed first in Performance Horses and fifth Overall; Marybeth placed second in Halter Horses, fourth in Performance Horses, second in Reasons, and first Overall; Emma placed fifth in Performance Horses and seventh Overall; and Kate placed fourth in Halter Horses, fifth in Reasons, and fourth Overall. As perhaps the most challenging part of the competition, requiring evaluation and placing of live horses, writing a set of reasons justifying the placings, and presenting the reasons from memory in front of a judge, horse judging placings in the top ten are especially outstanding!
Virginia 4H selects its regional and national level competitors from the top senior scores at Equismartz, and since there was no entry for a senior Team Presentation, the selection moved to the Junior division. The first place earned by Emma Kate Sazonov and Marybeth Martin for their Junior Team Presentation earned them an invitation to compete for Virginia at the next level, attending Southern Regionals in Perry, Georgia, in August. All the state teams spent a weekend together at a study retreat in Northern Virginia to prepare for the contest, where they enjoyed the opportunity to bond as a team while touring amazing farms and businesses as well as practicing for Southern Regionals. Emma Kate and Marybeth gave a fantastic enhanced and upgraded version of their presentation on the History of the Pony Express and earned a fifth place. Marybeth also brought her horse, Chips, to the show and the pair won fourth place in Hunter Type Mares and ninth in Hunter Showmanship. We hope to have more members push for places on the state team in 2023, as it was a great experience for these young ladies!
The Country Kids wrapped up the 2022 4H year with a huge group of horses and riders attending the VA 4H State Finals at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington. The club organized tack, feed, and horse stalls with a Marvel theme, where each horse took on their own unique Marvel character. Despite some weather challenges towards the end of the weekend, everyone had a good time and enjoyed being together in a supportive environment. Alexis Hinds and Fergie placed third and fifth in Junior Large Pony Hunter Pleasure and fourth in Junior Large Pony Hunt Seat Equitation. Eleanor Leeth took Monty and earned two second place ribbons in Junior Walk/Jog Western Pleasure and third in Junior Walk/Jog Western Horsemanship. Kate Byron rode Reba for a second place in Junior Dressage Training Level Test 1, eighth in Junior Dressage Showmanship, eighth in Junior Dressage Equitation, and second in Junior Hunter Trail. Peyton Howard and Otto placed ninth in Junior Dressage Equitation, third in Junior Western Dressage Basic Level Test 1, fifth in Junior Pony Cloverleaf Barrels, sixth in Junior Pony Pole Bending, sixth in Junior Pony Stake Race, and fourth in Junior Hunter Trail. Sadie Farley took Ruby and won fourth in Junior Dressage Training Level Test 1, eighth in Junior Dressage Intro Test C, eighth in Junior Dressage Showmanship, and fourth in Junior Dressage Equitation. Emma Willey rode Selah, placing seventh in Junior Dressage Training Level Test 1, tenth in Junior Dressage Equitation, fourth in Junior Dressage Showmanship, and second in Junior Western Dressage Basic Level Test 1.
In the Senior Division at State Finals, Emma Kate Sazonov and Peggy placed ninth in Dressage Training Level Test 1. Marybeth Martin took Chips and earned first in Hunter Showmanship, two firsts in Small Horse Hunter Pleasure, fourth in Small Horse Hunt Seat Equitation, and was Reserve Champion in the Hunter Pleasure Horse Classics. Lucy Goyne rode Una for a third in Dressage Training Level Test 1, seventh in Dressage Training Level Test 3, fourth in Western Dressage Basic Level Test 1, seventh in Dressage Showmanship, and fifth in Dressage Equitation. Sierra Hall and Lightning Bug won first in Western Dressage Basic Level Test 1, first in Hunter Trail, second in Dressage Training Level Test 2, third in Dressage Training Level Test 3, first in Dressage Equitation, ninth in Dressage Showmanship, and seventh in the Dressage Equitation Classics. Abby Cummings rode Thistle, earning second in Dressage Equitation and ninth in the Dressage Equitation Classics. Finally, Gloria Cornish and Tango placed sixth in Dressage Equitation, fifth in Dressage Training Level Test 2, fourth in Dressage Training Level Test 3, and 6 th in Dressage Showmanship.
Aside from the ridden and in-hand classes at State Finals, there are also educational and art contests for all 4H members to compete in. These are a great way for club members to participate and have fun even if they don’t compete with a horse! In the Junior Division, Emma Kate Sazonov took home first place in Hippology, first in Horse Bowl, and seventh in Horse Judging; Sadie Farley won fifth in the Photography contest, and Emma Willey earned fourth in Horse Bowl and sixth in Art. In the Seniors, Marybeth Martin won first in Horse Judging and fifth in Hippology, Lucy Goyne placed third in Art, Sierra Hall took home a fifth in Photography, and Gloria Cornish won first in Art as well as the Grand Champion Art Award. Lucy Goyne was also announced as the winner of the Connie Collier Scholarship at State Finals, which was a great honor!
The club joined together in December to celebrate an active and successful year with many new members and has already started training for the upcoming contests in 2023. Country Kids 4H Club is a fun and supportive group of youth and their families, operating out of Meadow Ridge Stables in Christiansburg. Membership is free and horse ownership is not required! If you would like to learn more about joining this great group, go to https://www.meadowridgestables.net/ or contact leader Reanna Willey at (540) 449-7433.
