2007 Congress News
Future Judges Make a Name for Themselves at the Congress
By Carly Williams
The Youth and Intercollegiate Judging contests were held on Wednesday, October 17 during the 2007 Congress. Each year, the Congress holds the Judging contests, along with Public Speaking, Demonstration, Horse Bowl and Hippology contests, to educate and highlight youth who are dedicated to horses.
Each year, students from across North America prepare in anticipation for the moment when they can compete in the Congress judging contests. College, 4-H, FFA and Quarter Horse affiliate associations form judging teams that will converge at the Congress to find out who has the ‘best eye for horseflesh.’
The Congress competition is divided into two divisions: the Youth Judging Contest and the Intercollegiate Judging Contest. In the youth division, 4-H, FFA or youth Quarter Horse association teams are eligible to participate. Each team may consist of three or four youth members. If three members participate, all scores will be counted. If four members participate, the three highest scores will comprise their official team score. Youth contestants must be under the age of 19 by January 1 of the competition year, as well as a member of the organization they are representing.
The intercollegiate division consists of teams from any properly accredited two- or four-year college or university in the United States and Canada. The intercollegiate teams may consist of four or five members, with the four highest scores used to determine the composite score for the team. The intercollegiate division is divided into two separate categories: junior colleges (two-year) and senior colleges (four-year). Each college or university may enter two teams per category. Intercollegiate contestants must be undergraduate, full-time students who attend the institution they are representing. Intercollegiate team members must also have never acted as an official judge of horses in any interstate fair or show, nor have served as a teacher of livestock or horse judging in an institution of higher learning.
Teams from both divisions will place four Halter classes and eight Performance classes in this competition. The Halter classes will consist of at least one class each of mares, geldings and stallions. Performance classes may consist of: Western Pleasure, Hunter Under Saddle, Reining, Western Riding, Hunter Hack, Pleasure Driving, Trail, Western Horsemanship and Hunt Seat Equitation. Specific classes will be announced as ‘Oral Reason’ classes. Oral reasons are the judging contestant’s chance to explain their placings. Intercollegiate teams will present a total of five sets of reasons, two Halter and three Performance. Youth teams will present four sets of reasons, two Halter and two Performance. Both divisions will award individual and team high-point awards in Halter, Performance and Oral Reasons, as well as an overall award. Winning scores are determined based on the accuracy of the contestants’ judging (as compared to a panel of approved judges), organizational skills through oral reasoning, knowledge of correct traits and knowledge of equine faults.
Youth Judging Contest Results
Overall Individual Results:
1. Brittany Spears, North Carolina 4-H
2. Heather Burk, Oklahoma FFA, Adair
3. Tasha Dove, Oklahoma FFA, Adair
4. Jessica Hlebak, North Carolina 4-H
5. Bailey David, Tennessee Quarter Horse Association
6. Sydney Scott, Tennessee 4-H, Putnam County
7. Samantha Cobb, Tennessee Quarter Horse Association
8. Blake Preston, Nebraska
9. Alexis Cowan, Texas Quarter Horse Association
10. Cori Elliott, Illinois 4-H
Overall Team Results:
1. North Carolina 4-H
2. Tennessee Quarter Horse Association
3. Oklahoma FFA, Adair
4. Tennessee 4-H, Putnam Co.
5. Kansas 4-H
6. Colorado 4-H
7. Illinois Quarter Horse Association
8. Texas Quarter Horse Association
9. Indiana 4-H
10. Mid-Atlantic Quarter Horse Association
Junior College Judging Results
Overall Individual Results:
1. McKenzie Nygren, NE Oklahoma A&M, Team 2
2. Sarah Moentmann, Black Hawk College
3. Rachel Olson, Black Hawk College
4. Amanda Burrows, NE Oklahoma A&M, Team 2
5. Mindy Young, NE Oklahoma A&M, Team 2
6. Wade Williams, NE Oklahoma A&M, Team 1
7. Ryan Butler, Black Hawk College
8. Chelcei Fischer, Black Hawk College
9. Mindy Leach, University of Nebraska
10. Jake Becker, Black Hawk College
Overall Team Results:
1. Black Hawk College
2. NE Oklahoma A&M, Team 2
3. Texas Tech University
4. University of Nebraska
5. Laramie Co. Community College
6. Clarendon College
7. Cloud Co. Community College
8. Miami University
9. NE Oklahoma A&M, Team 1
10. Middle Tennessee State University
Senior College Results
Overall Individual Results:
1. Amanda Browning, West Texas A&M
2. Renee Gradert, West Texas A&M
3. Kaitlyn Crow, Kansas State (Silver team)
4. Kendra Pond, Texas Tech (Team 2)
5. Kally Hood, Kansas State (Purple team)
6. Alicia Daugherty, Texas Tech University
7. Ryan Rushing, Texas A&M (Team 2)
8. Toree Winchell, West Texas A&M
9. Nicole Kenney, Texas A&M (Team 2)
10. Billy Brown, Kansas State (Silver team)
Overall Team Results:
1. West Texas A&M
2. Texas Tech University
3. Texas A&M (Team 2)
4. Kansas State (Purple team)
5. Oklahoma State University
6. University of Florida
7. North Dakota State University
8. Kansas State (Silver team)
9. Middle Tennessee State
10. Sam Houston State University
