C2-Lancastw Farming, Saturday, December 12, 1992
YOUTH HORSE
PROGRAMS
Pat M. Comerford
Extension Horse
Program Coordinator
Penn State
More than 6,000 Pennsylvania
youth are actively involved in 4-H
Chib horse projects, designed to
provide them with educational
opportunities that develop life
skills and promote horsemanship,
sportsmanship, and responsible
animal care.
Penn Stale’s Departments of
Dairy and Animal Science and
Agricultural and Extension Educa
tion provide overall leadership to
Pennsylvania’s varied 4-H horse
programs.
Pennsylvania’s horse industry is
a large, diverse, economically sig
nificant enterprise. Likewise,
youth horse programs include a
wide range of disciplines, projects,
and activities.
Although horse shows and
horsemanship projects represent
the largest and most popular activi
ties, the programs provide many
other opportunities for youth, such
as therapeutic riding, competitive
programs to test knowledge about
horses, judging contests, competi
tive trail riding, and even a “horse
less” project.
• Learning About Horses is a
“horseless” project designed to
actively involve young people who
do not or cannot own a horse. It
includes many horse-related activ
ities such as working with scale
models of horses to learn manage
ment techniques, anatomy, and
horse show operation. Participants
may attend a horse event, visit a
feed store or tack shop, or leant
about horse safety. They might
even enjoy a hands-on experience
with horses during a farm visit
• Therapeutic riding is another
innovative and meaningful com
ponent of the 4-H programs. Not
only do the horses provide physi
cal, psychological, and social ther
apy for disabled individuals of all
ages, but the project encourages
interaction and understanding
between 4-H youth and people
eon Rav Martin
Excavating 1
710 Fivepolntvllle Rd. • Denver, PA 17517
General Excavating Site Preparation
(215) 445-4667
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J-IT .
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We Have A Backhoe, Loader & Pan
. To Better Serve Your
Excavating Needs
with disabilities.
• Horse bowl and hippology
competitions test knowledge in
areas such as nutrition, reproduc
tion, anatomy, physiology, breeds,
tack, and equipment. Horse bowl
contests are patterned after televi
sion’s old College Bowl game.
Teams compete against each other
and the clock to test their know
ledge of horses. In hippology (the
study of the horse) competition,
members advance from station to
station to identify breeds, feeds,
tack, or equipment, grade hay, and
evaluate equine anatomy, among
many other topics. They also take a
written test and judge two classes
of live animals.
• Horse judging contests are
designed for young people who
want to advance their judging and
selection skills. Club members
may also compete in public speak
ing and demonstration contests on
equine topics activities which
develop speaking, presentation,
and critical thinking skills. They
may compete in local, regional,
and state events. State winners are
eligible to participate in the East
ern National 4-H Horse Roundup
in Louisville, Ky., or the Solid
Gold Horse Event in Springfield,
111.
• Competitive trail riding is a
relatively new, but increasingly
popular 4-H horse project.
Although it teaches many aspects
of horse care, this project emphas
izes conditioning the horse and rid
er for long-distance riding. Com
petitive-trail rides are typically 25
Brillion’s Landcommander gives you total command
over the problems of compaction, soil erosion, residue
management, and rough fields.
The front disc gang has 22”x’/« ’’ disc blades on 15”
spacings. They are designed to cup residue and work
the ground to a depth of 6”.
The Landcommander has the ability to till from 8" to 20”
deep. This allows you to work through the deepest
compaction zones. Brillfon gives you the choice of 24”
or 30” shank spacing. Automatic reset shanks allow
non-stop farming.
ft ,
Y Contact one of the below listed dealers:
[PENHSYLVAMp Dover ' Intercourse’ Maxatawny Quarryvllle I""uapyi atm —I Columbus
Adamstown GEORGE N C.B. HOOBER N.H FLICKER & GRUMELLI FARM *-■— l - 1 REED BROTHERS
ADAMSTOWN GROSS, INC. & SON SONG, INC. SERVICE Rising Sun EQUIPMENT
FOUIP INC Easton , . Tamaqua AG INDUSTRIAL
Beehteisville GEORGE V. n CHARLES EQUIPMENT Elmer
□•cnieisviiie LANDIS CLUGSTON cmvhcd imi-> PCI F TAVFRN
MILLER S^ E BROTHERS, INC. FARM EQUIPMENT S^. Y ° ER ', NC ' Frederick POL | Q {.| P
EQUIP. CO Elizabethtown . . Wataontown CFBFSVILIF FORD
Berwick MESSICK FARM • New Holland DEERFIELD AG & NEW HOLLAND SALES °ORP
CH. RINEHIMER EQUIPMENT CO. OMBERGERS A.B.C. GROFF, INC. TURF CENTER. INC. S'i Fairfield
A SONS Gettysburg 0F FONTANA oiey West Grove ' HPM JERSEY I CALDWELL
Carlisle YINGLING Loysvllle PIKEVILLE S.G. LEWIS & Bridgeton TRACTOR &
\GUTSHALLS, INC. IMPLEMENT GUTSHALLS, INC. EQUIPMENT. INC. SON, INC. LESLIE FOGG EQUIPMENT
Pat M. Comerford
to 28 miles in length and are ridden
in four to five hours.
• Youth in the 4-H horse pro
duction project work with young
horses to learn breeding, training,
and management skills. Five area
production shows are held annual
ly in Pennsylvania. Members who
qualify at these shows advance to
the State 4-H Horse Show in Har
risburg. Pennsylvania’s state show
is one of the largest 4-H horse
shows in the country, culminating
a year of activities and competition
for members in the horsemanship
project. Participants must success
fully compete at local, county, and
district shows to qualify for the
three-day state show. More than
700 4-H members competed in 40
classes at this year’s state show.
With the state show recently
completed and the 4-H project year
drawing to a close, it is an appro
priate time to reflect on our youth
horse programs and the many com
ments and letters we have received
regarding the state show. The suc
cess of our 4-H horse programs
depends on the dedicated,
cooperative efforts of thousands of
youth, volunteers, club leaders,
and ( parents, as well as county and
state extension staff. (
While our programs have many
LANDCOMMANDER
TAKE COMMAND OF TILLAGE PROBLEMS
strengths, they sometimes are hin
dered by those who fail to under
stand the purpose and mission of
4-H programs. Our programs are
not intended to be simply another
circuit of horse shows and compe
titive events. Here, competition
must be placed in die proper per
spective. Competitive horse events
can be rewarding educational
experiences for our young people.
But this happens only if young
Organic Conference,
Annual Meeting Set
PENNINGTON, NJ. The
second Natural Organic Farmers
Association of New Jersey
(NOFA-NJ) annual winter confer
ence will be held Saturday, Janu
ary-30, at the Cook College Stu
dent Center in New Brunswick.
The theme of the all-day meet
ing is “Making Organic Agricul
ture Work for You.
Dr. Zane Helsel, director, Rut
gers Cooperative Extension and
Samuel Garrison, assistant secre
tary of agriculture. NJDA, will
provide introductory remarks.
Dr. Vem Grubinger, extension
specialist from Vermont, will give
two talks on “Organic Soil Fertili
ty Management” and “The Art and
Science of Compost” New vege
table varieties, exotic and gourmet
varieties, and the best of old favo
rites, will be discussed at a session
featuring Rob Johnston, owner of
Johnnies Selected Seeds, Albion,
Maine. Rutgers Cooperative
Extension Vegetable Specialist
Dr. Steve Reiners and Adantic
County Extension Agent Rick
Van Vranken will also talk.
A marketing session will
include a growers panel discus
sion on community supported
agriculture (CSA), establishment
of a wholesale marketing co-op,
and the future wholesale market
ing opportunities in New Jersey.
Thirty-nine inches of underframe clearance allows the
unit to work heavy residue without plugging. The rear
disc gang has 20” x 7 ga. disc blades on 7.5” spacing.
They cut residue, break clods and level the field. Work
ing depth and disc angle are easily adjusted. You con
trol the amount of residue to meet your conservation
compliance needs.
Simple disc gang depth adjustment, innovative design,
and heavy duty construction. The new Brillion Land
commander js built in the old Brillion tradition. We make
“Tough tillage tools.”
people are guided by adults who
provide a responsible example of
sportsmanship and horsemanship.
It is vital to the continued
growth and success of Pennsylva
nia's wonderful 4-H horse prog
ram that everyone involved fully
realize our goal to allow the
horse to serve as a stimulating
means of directing and developing
youth. When this occurs, everyone
benefits.
Jean Nick, Rodale Institute, will
discuss organic raspberry produc
tion, and Joe Fiola, Rutgers exten
sion specialist in small fruit, will
discuss new techniques in straw
berry production.
During a session on disease and
insect control. Dr. Bill Metter
house, former director of the Ben
eficial Insect Laboratory, New
Jersey Department of Agriculture,
will discuss the agricultural use of
beneficial insects and Dr. Steve
Johnstown, Rutgers extension
specialist in pathology, will talk
about factors leading to the onset
of plant disease and the use of
copper fungicides.
The conference is being co
sponsored by NOFA-NJ, the
Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed
Association, the New Jersey
Department of Agriculture, and
Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
The cost to non-members of
NOFA-NJ is $3O and is $2O for
members. Participants may join
NOFA-NJ when registering.
Additional discounts will be given
for pre-registration(ss), for certi
fied growers(sS), and for students
and senior citizens(sS). New
Jersey Department of Agriculture
and Rutgers University personnel
are admitted free of charge.
For more information, call
NOFA-NJ at (609) 737-6848.