Part of the 4-H curriculum is volunteering in the community and fundraising.
You may have seen us out and about, selling equine bug repellent, serving and bussing tables at banquets, picking up garbage along the Alaska Highway and spending many hours selling raffle tickets!
All that hard work went toward our biggest fundraising goal—a five-day trip to Alberta back in April. On our trip we gained independence by traveling solo without our parents! This was a first for many and an opportunity to adventure with our super fun 4-H leaders and volunteer chaperones.
Our first stop was Delaney’s Veterinary Services Clinic (DVS) in Sherwood Park. Delaney’s specializes in all kinds of horse care, from checkups to ambulatory services to surgery. We got a full tour of its facility, including the intensive care stalls, exam rooms, isolation stalls, and reproduction wing. The best part was seeing the fresh new foals. Even in the short few hours we spent at DVS, we learned so many new things. Visiting definitely sparked some career interests for some of us!
Next, we spent 3 days at the Horse Expo in Red Deer, Alberta. The Horse Expo is Canada’s largest equine expo where they have trainers, showdowns, clinics, presentations, and shopping!
Thousands of people go to this event every year. Over the weekend, we watched training experts demonstrate their methods. Pat Parelli, Glenn Stewart, and Dough Mills worked with unbroken colts for three days, showing their skills and competing for first place. We had the unique opportunity to learn from these outstanding trainers and their different opinions and perspectives on colt training. As well as seeing these colts transform in 3 short days, we also watched barrel racing classes, cutting horse classes and desensitizing drills.
Traveling together has created a closer bond for our team, we are so lucky to have had this opportunity.
This trip was an incredibly valuable experience. Without everyone’s continued support in our fundraising efforts, we would not have been able to reach our goals. Shout out to our amazing Whitehorse community for buying raffle tickets, Wykes and Northland Beverages for donating to our concession and Takhini River Ranch and Air North for having us serve at events. Without all of you, these experiences would not be possible. Last but not least, thank you to our brave and passionate leaders, parents and volunteers. A lot of what we do would not be possible without you!
Byline: Nylah Fuder and Lucy Ennis, 4-H Spirit Riders Horse Club Reporters
