Region 2 Hippology Team Report 2015
By Meaghan Shaffer
Hippology Team 2015
The Region 2 Hippology Team made a big splash at Youth Nationals this year. The qualifying team of six took home a champion with Natalie Zavala, reserve with Danielle Garcia, and top ten with Krista Askenas and in the 14-18 age category, reserve with Kate Day and top ten with Jacki Thacker in the 11-13 category, and top ten in the 10 & under with Amber Hauptman. Happily, AHA reported that the hippology contest is growing in size and they experienced a 10% increase in the youth category and a 30% increase in the adult and trainer categories.
The kids began meeting and studying for the team back in February. We started the year with over 20 youth and whittled the number down to the top six. The kids were tested twice during the year and those with the highest scores were eligible to be sponsored by Region 2 and compete as representatives of their region. The youth were at Nationals for two days.
Carnival Prizes
They took the hippology exam on Saturday and then participated in the awards ceremony and the Golf Cart Parade of Regions on Sunday.
The Region 2 golf cart parade, while seemingly unimportant, serves as a great unifier for the kids. They spent hours searching the fairgrounds for cardboard, extra tape, scrap wood, sand, and collaborated on ideas to represent their given country, Egypt. Our kids truly enjoyed their efforts and were unmatched in spirit. Several kids from other regions kept coming over to hang with ours!
Not only did these kids study new material weekly, they were also able to participate in actively supporting Region 2’s fundraising efforts that were spearheaded by leader, Flora Elm Colone. The youth assisted in the scavenger hunt, attended a Santa Ynez farm tour and judging workouts followed by a Region 2 youth meeting, the silent auction, did gates and ribbons at the Spring Qualifier, scooping ice cream, selling drinks at the Region 2 exhibitor dinner, and hosting kids’ carnival games. The amount of time spent by the youth and the dedication of their parents to drive them around to volunteer was excellent.
Region 2 Shirts Bought by AHASFV
A former hippology participant, Ellery Vincent, recently came home for a visit and stopped by to see me. She told me that all the studying we did for hippology has really made her pre-vet classes so much easier. She has seen it all before! It’s fantastic to hook these horse crazy youngsters on Arabians at such a young age by exposing them to the Arabian Youth Nationals and to give them a leg up on their education as well. It’s a win for all of us.
Next up for our four qualifying youth will be the Judging Contest in Tulsa this October. The competition there is more intense and generally has more seasoned and older participants, and this will only be the second time that I’ve taken a team to US Nationals.
Team Practice at Cal Poly Pomona
Our girls are preparing over the next ten weeks by giving oral speeches, watching and placing classes, and studying the judging criteria for both halter and performance. It’s a big challenge but they are striving to once again earn a spot in the awards. Last year, they earned a top five placing in the performance judging division for AHA juniors.
Thank you to Region 2 for supporting this year’s fantastic kids! You should be proud of their accomplishments and they in turn are very grateful for the opportunities.
Sincerely,
Meaghan Shaffer
Region 2 Hippology and Judging Coach