This is just proof a leader or volunteer can make a impact.
A STARR OF THE 4-H HORSE PROGRAM
Lyndi Starr is proof that it doesn’t take a high dollar horse and a professional trainer to succeed in the Texas 4-H horse program. The champion of the Stock Horse Horsemanship class at the 2014 show had never seen a horse show until four or five years ago. But a 4-H horse vaccination clinic opened her eyes to what opportunities 4-H could provide.
After walking her horse a half-mile two and from the clinic, the local 4-H leader encouraged Lyndi to become active in the 4-H horse program. That led to some riding lessons and tremendous opportunities for the Mount Vernon, Texas, teenager.
Her horse, an unregistered gelding that was the result of an accidental breeding, started out as a two-year-old futurity project. Starr trained the horse herself and showed him at the State 4-H Horse Show as a two-year-old. It was her third time to ever enter a horse show.
From there, she advanced the gelding to the three-year-old futurity program and also started attending various stock horse association shows and clinics. “We went through some rough spots, but I earned reserve in the 4-H Three-Year-Old Futurity on him. We also won the Oklahoma Stock Horse Association youth high point saddle that year.”
The next year, Starr and her gelding made the finals in Stock Horse Pleasure and Stock Horse Trail at the state show, finishing in the Top 10 in pleasure.
All of those accomplishments drew attention from collegiate stock horse teams, and Starr was recruited by North Central Texas College (NCTC). This past year, the duo received the Trainer Award at the Collegiate Stock Horse National Championships, an award presented to the highest placing individual who has trained his or her own horse.
Starr is now a sophomore at NCTC. She has continued to improve her horse and her training, and is trying to qualify for the NRCHA World Show in the Youth Limited division. Starr is a shining example of how the 4-H horse program can lead young riders through the training process to accomplish their goals.
Complete results for the Texas State 4-H Horse Show are available online at http://animalscience.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2012/04/class-results.pdf