Help Our Local Youth Horse Teams

I'll never forget seeing tall, lanky Dan Lund standing at the doorstep of our North Boyer house one summer evening, asking me if I wanted to go along with him and his fellow teammates on a trip to Dallas, Texas. 

Dan, his cousin Jane and fellow 4-H'ers, Cathy Russell and Linda Woolsey, had just competed in one of Idaho's early 4-H horse judging contests and had won second place.

Their placing meant that they could go on to a national contest.  In this case, it was the National Youth Horse Congress at the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas. 

To this day, I still don't know why they asked me, but I do know that I was thrilled to join them and that the experience during that summer of 1973 changed my life in so many ways.  

I'd never flown before.  I'd never been to Texas. The trip also coincided with my future husband Bill's return to Louisiana after a couple of weeks at the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Farragut.

So, I went on to Louisiana (first-ever time) after the Horse Congress, met Bill's folks and 40-plus years later, still hang out with my "summer romance," as my mother called it.  

The overall experience of seeing dozens of phenomenal horses, learning the ropes of competitive judging at a national level and just plain embracing cultural and historical enrichment planted a fertile seed that, happily, continues to flourish in this community.

One summer night, shortly after returning to Sandpoint from what was back then "the trip of my life," I went horseback riding with my little sisters who were adolescents at the time. 

"We're going to go to another national competition," I confidently announced, "all three of us."

The seed sprouted, along with my sisters' continuing knowledge of horses.  

In 1977, Barbara, Laurie, Janice Wood, Kim Lewis and I, along with Janice's mom Virginia and I flew to Albuquerque, New Mex., where the team of four teens competed in the Arabian National Youth Horse Judging Contest after winning first place team at State.

Again, in 1978, my sisters, along with Mari Chambers and Tracey Peterson, took first place at the Idaho State 4-H Horse Judging Contest and traveled to Chicago to compete. 

The phenomenon of local 4-H'ers and youth in other horse groups winning state competitions and moving on to the national arenas all over the country, including New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Ohio, has continued to thrive over the past 40 years.

My sisters eventually went on to become 4-H leaders themselves and the youth horse-judging bug inspired them to work with kids, teaching them how to distinguish levels of quality in among horses, various performance disciplines and, more importantly, to express themselves orally before a judge or panel.

The discipline needed to succeed in these competitions transcends other aspects of life, especially in school and work situations where functioning a cut above in speaking skills and decision-making can make all the difference in one's performance. 

Over the years, two horse judges from Sandpoint, Samantha Bell and Merisa Turnbaugh, won first place individually at national competitions, bringing home saddles and lots of additional loot, along with the pride of a lifetime achievement.   

These days horse youth also compete in Horse Bowls as well as judging.  And, this year, Bonner County has three groups of judges/horse bowlers who have earned the privilege and who aspire to compete nationally. 

Of course, it all costs money, but I can tell you from my experience and observations over the past four decades that any donations sent their direction result in a great bang for the buck over a period of time.

These kids, so inspired by their own experiences, often return the favor by guiding the next batch of youngsters to reach for the stars. 

Today I'm including a letter, drafted by one of this year's team members who also happens to be the Bonner County Fair Queen.  And, I hope my story and hers are compelling enough for readers out there to help these three teams as they raise the funds to compete this year at Nationals. 

Thanks for taking the time to read the letter below, and thanks for doing whatever you can to keep the light shining on these youth who will, no doubt, some day pay it forward as adults. 

by Abigail Nelson . . . . 

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Abigail Nelson, and I am writing on behalf of your 2014 Bonner County 4-H Horse members who recently competed and placed at the State competition this July. 

Currently, we are raising funds to help us go to nationals. 

We have three different teams that will be representing the State of Idaho at the national level: Our Horse Judging Team 1 consisting of Jenay Turnbaugh, Taylor Hill, Montana Rayburn, and Courtney Parnell took 4^th overall, with Jenay Receiving 3^rd Overall Senior Judge, and Montana taking 5^th Overall Senior Judge, individually. 

Then we have our Horse Judging Team 2 compiled of Abigail Nelson (myself), Rebekah Nelson, Miranda Yetter, and Ali Sutton, with Rebekah placing Top Overall Intermediate Judge, and myself placing Top overall Senior Judge individually. 

Finally, we are also sending our Senior Horse Bowl Team to Nationals; the team consists of Jenay Turnbaugh, Kellee Knopp, and Courtney Parnell and myself with Kellee taking 5^th overall Senior, Jenay taking 4^th overall Senior, and my placing 3^rd overall Senior.

As you may have noticed, a few of us are competing in both Horse Judging and Horse Bowl, but this holds no significance to you unless you know what each event is. 

The simplest way to explain these events is this: Horse Bowl is a lot like Jeopardy. We can be asked any type of question that might be related to the horse world, ranging from insurance, to general care, and sometimes even historical significances. This requires us to study a very vast realm of knowledge in order to prepare for competition. 

Horse judging is similar to what judges do at fairs and shows. They compare animals to one another and decide which individual is better-built, based on the combination of appearance, conformation, and movement. Each breed has a certain set of specific characteristics that should be apparent in each animal of the respective breed. 

Each of these events require countless hours of study and practice, and every team member is absolutely essential, dedicated, and skilled.

Why should this matter to you? 

It matters because we are representing the collective community and businesses in Idaho, at the national level in two different states, competing in two different competitions altogether. 

Ultimately, we need your support to help get us there, as bake sales and car washes can only go so far. This support can come in the form of raffle items, monetary donations, sponsorships, or any other fundraising possibilities.

In return for your support, we would like to send you a plaque acknowledging your support and community involvement through helping send us to nationals.

This is a huge undertaking for us, as we have nine members and two coaches who will be making the trip to represent Idaho. This leaves us with a hefty fine of approximately $15,000 to cover travel, food, and boarding expenses---all of which, needs to be finalized by this coming October. 

Our first competition takes place in Columbus, Ohio, in early October (13-15), while our second competition takes place in Tulsa, Okla.,  from the (23-25),later the same month.

In conclusion, we sincerely hope and ask that will help us reach our goal so that we can represent Idaho to the very best of our abilities. In doing so, you will not only make nine extremely talented and dedicated girls and their coaches, exceedingly grateful and proud to be a part of such a community.

In order to contact us, please feel free to email Angela Turnbaugh  (horse bowl coach): daveang1987@gmail.com

Or call at: (208) 263-8370

You can also contact Adrienne Nelson (horse judging coach), apumpkin29@yahoo.com, PO Box 782 Sagle, ID 83860, 255-2370

In advance, thank you for your support!

Your 2014 Bonner County Idaho Horse Teams