4-H Horse Camp

On the weekend of May 29-31, the Franklin County Fairgrounds will be bustling with horse trailers arriving with horses of all colors, sizes, abilities and disciplines. It’s spring and the horses will be frisky and the 4H’ers excited to see their friends for the first big event of the season. 4H members and their families from the Franklin County 4H Horse Program will be participating in a 35 year spring tradition known as Horse Camp. Youth will be preparing for fair, competitive trail rides and horse shows while adding to their knowledge about their equine partners. They will be seen working their horses in the main ring, over jumps in the infield, over trail obstacles, and in the indoor arena.

Classes are planned for 4H youth and their families to learn about the internal organs of a horse by viewing a horse that has been painted with the internal organs on its coat. Local EMTs will have hands-on activities instructing 4H families what to do in a rider/horse emergency. An equine vet will teach youth how to use a stethoscope to listen to the gut sounds, heart rate and lungs of their horses.

Over 60 youth ranging in age from 5-19 will be taking lessons from professional horse trainers, skilled equestrians, and experienced equine professionals. The list of instructors includes: Jeff Steer, from The Homestead Farm, Rochester, NY, horse trainer, exhibitor and equestrian coach for RIT. Debbie Healy, professional trainer, equestrian, riding instructor from Canton, NY. Dr. Dorothee Gilmore, DVM, Canton, NY, equine veterinarian. Tiffany Buschbascher, riding instructor, Sand Hill Stables, St Regis Falls, NY. There will also be many dedicated volunteers instructing showmanship skills, trail obstacle training, barn safety, hoof care, and saddle fitting.

The New York Agricultural and Horse Breeding Development Fund will be sponsoring a special Standardbred race horse day on Sunday afternoon. Horse campers will be treated to a visit to the race horse barns where they will learn about racing, harnesses and equipment used, how race horses are trained and how to become a harness race driver. During the afternoon, local race horse owners and trainers will put on 2 training races. The winners of each race will be presented with a special blue blanket called a “cooler” with the embroidered logo “4H Training Race 2015”.

4H youth who participate in Horse Camp must have been enrolled in a 4H horse club during program year and must have completed a Riding Level Evaluation testing their riding ability and safety on and around their horse. 4H youth, and all youth under the age of 18 in New York State, are required to wear an equestrian helmet when riding off their parent’s property. 4H youth are also required to wear a riding boot with a discernable heel.

If you have a child between the ages of 5 and 19 who would like to become involved with the 4H Horse program, contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension office, 518-483-7403 or visit the website http://franklin.cce.cornell.edu/

Last updated July 26, 2019