4-H Club members enjoy showing off horses, riding skills

HORSE-LOVING children showed their expertise Sunday at the 2002 Howard County Youth Horse Show Series in Highland.

Sponsored by two Howard County 4-H horse clubs, this was the final show of the annual series held at Schooley Mill Park.

Parents and chaperones brought the children and their horses in trailers and set up camp for the day. They brought coolers, lawn chairs and reading material to keep them busy for the many hours their children competed in a variety of classes.

The show was divided into about 40 classes, based on the age of competitors and their level of skill. Most of the participants were from the Spur and Stirrup and Centaurs 4-H clubs.

Centaurs' 4-H Club leader Marcie Barnard and her husband, Dennis, brought their daughters Alex, 14, and MacKenzie, 10, to compete on their horses, Misty and Lady. The Ellicott City residents brought their own food and chairs, and spent the day relaxing at their trailer sites between classes, or events.

Any child ages 8 to 18 was welcome to enter the show. Every class allowed six winners and as the children won ribbons, they placed them on their family's horse trailer for everyone to see.

Carly Earp rode her leased horse, Impressively Andy. Carly was the grand champion at the 4-H Horse and Pony Show at this year's Howard County Fair. But it wasn't all about ribbons for the 14-year-old Clarksville resident.

"This is fun whether you do well or not," she said. "It's just nice to be with your friends."

MacKenzie Barnard showed in the beginner's class. "It's fun, not scary," she said.

Heather Murdoch, 13, a member of the Spur and Stirrup Club, also enjoyed riding in the casual atmosphere of the series. "It feels like you're just riding in a regular ring," she said.

Clarksville resident Taylor Hopkins, 9, rode in more than seven classes. Taylor, who fell off her horse in one class, went on to ride in several more classes and won ribbons, including one for first place.

Taylor is an old pro. Her father, Glen, estimates that Taylor has ridden in more than 30 events this season.

The show was a makeup for a summer show that was canceled because of rain. "A lot of people didn't come today because their horse would be too frisky," said Marcie Barnard, explaining that cool weather can energize a horse.

The horse show series is chaired by Joan Bosmans, who is a leader of the Spur and Stirrup Club. The show series requires the help of many adult volunteers from both the Centaurs and Spur and Stirrup 4-H clubs.

Bosmans, of Clarksville, said this is the series' 10th year. The show series was organized to raise money for prize ribbons for the Howard County Fair.

Despite all the work in putting the shows together, Bosmans said, "We have a great time."

School traffic

Joanne Heckman drives her son David from Columbia to River Hill High School every morning to avoid a one-hour bus ride, but she is not happy about morning traffic at the school.

"The situation in the morning leaves me aghast," she said. "It's hard to believe there aren't constant accidents here. There are constant near-misses."

Parents, teachers and students entering school grounds from Route 108 must merge left or right to reach the student drop-off area or the school parking lot. To leave the drop-off area, cars must cross in front of those entering the parking lot.

Heckman believes there are changes that can be made, but it would be hard to solve the problem entirely.

"I suppose this issue must have exhausted everyone's ingenuity years ago," she said. "If no one's gotten sideswiped, run over or hit head-on in the driver's compartment, I guess we can just enjoy that adrenaline rush we need so badly around 7:15 a.m."

Scholarship winners

The Howard County Fair Association Inc. announced the winners of its 2002 Howard County Fair Educational Scholarships at its stockholders dinner last month. Six young people were awarded $1,500 each, based on good citizenship, involvement in the fair, future plans, grades and evidence of leadership.

Anna Baran, 21, a junior at Villa Julie College, has participated in the fair for eight years. She has served as president and adult leader for the Spur and Stirrup and Happy Hounds 4-H clubs. Her parents, Norman and Yvonne Baran, reside in Elkridge.

Curtis Bullock, 19, is a sophomore at the University of Maryland. He attended the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta and the National 4-H Conference in Washington, and has been an international 4-H ambassador to England. His parents, Fred and Susan Bullock, live in Ellicott City.

Cynthia Dixon, 17, works full time as a veterinary assistant and plans to attend Carroll Community College. She is an eight-year member of the Hare Raisers and Unity 4-H clubs, specializing in rabbit-judging and showmanship. She is the daughter of Diane Dixon of Sykesville.

Robert Rynarzewski, 17, is a senior at Glenelg High School and has been in 4-H for 10 years. He served as president of the Daisy Agriculture 4-H Club and has led the Howard County 4-H Swine Showmanship Workshop. Parents Robert and Karen Rynarzewski live in Woodbine.

Kathryn Lessels, 17, is a freshman at McDaniel College. She is an eight-year member of the Worthington 4-H Club, having served as junior leader, president, vice president and secretary. She is the daughter of Jonathan and Wendy Lessels of Ellicott City.

Erika Thomas, 17, is a freshman at Howard Community College. She has served as president of the Poplar 4-H Club and secretary of the West Friendship Livestock 4-H Club. Parents David and Lynne Thomas live in Marriottsville.