For some Michigan 4-Hers, Sunday offered a chance to get advice on their horsemanship skills without the typical pressures of competition.
Participants in the 4-H Hairy Horse Clinic at the Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education were given the opportunity to perform with their horses and be critiqued by Michigan's 4-H Club judges, who donated their time.
Because the horses still have shaggier winter coats, they are not judged on appearance. That's also where the term "hairy horse" originates.
"The purpose was to provide education about showing horses," said Karen Waite, Equine Extension specialist and coordinator for the show.
The clinic allows participants to learn "what judges are looking for and get people out for the first show of the year," Waite said.
Several horse events take place throughout the year at the Pavilion, and many of the participants in the clinic will most likely return for other shows, Waite said.
"For a lot of people, this is the first show they've ever been to," she said.
The event has been growing in size every year with about 107 competitors from all across Michigan participating Sunday, Waite said.
Most participants are children, but some are adults, she added.
The show is broken into separate categories of showmanship, English equitation and pleasure, and Western equitation and pleasure.
The showmanship participants are judged on straight lines, crisp turns and general appearance, Waite said. Equitation classes are judged on the proficiency of the rider, while pleasure classes focus on the horses and how well they work with the riders who show them.
During the show, sixth-grader Aubrey Videtich took notes on the judges' techniques. The East Rockford Middle School student was participating in a job shadowing project for school and is interested in being a horse judge.
"It's really fun because you get to judge other people, and it will help you know what judges are looking for (when you compete)," said Videtich, who has shown horses for about six years.
Getting advice from the judges will help participants do better at shows, said 16-year-old Danielle Hewitt, who was showing her horse, Cash.
"It helps a lot with critiquing and knowing what you're doing wrong," she said.
This was Hewitt's first time at the clinic, but she said she plans to return next year.
Although it's hard to tell if participants in the clinic will place better than non-participants in future shows, Waite said the advice they receive will help them.
"When comparing to themselves, they probably do a little better than if they hadn't come to this event," she said.
Showing horses requires discipline and focus, and allows competitors to practice and improve their skills, "like any other sport," Waite said.
