Welcome to the 2022 new year. We hope it is going swimmingly well for you thus far. We look forward to seeing you at our Countywide Meeting on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at 7:00 PM at the Kenosha County Building on the corner of HWY 45 and HWY 50.
During this meeting Brenna and Julianne will be presenting on the Pony of Americas, aka POAs. They will have an educational session and then a rousing game of Kahoot!
BUSINESS ITEMS>>>
Please find below the following information for the countywide meeting…
AGENDA
ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPDATES>>>
New Member Orientations
We will be having mandatory new member orientations at the beginning of January and February meetings. Please make sure you sign up. ORIENTATION EMAIL
Be an Amigo to a Buckaroo
We are seeking seasoned 4-H families or members to be an amigo to one of our new members. That just means you’d be a point of contact to answer any questions they might have or guide them through understanding the project. The basic ins and outs of it. Please let us know if you would like to be an amigo this year.
Project T-Shirt Design Contest
Each year members submit designs that they feel represent the project. They are then voted on by the members for the one they would like to have. Details can be found here.
We have moved the deadline to the February meeting in which we will be voting.
State Representatives
If you are interested in representing the Kenosha County 4-H Horse & Pony Project at the state level please sign up. You attend state meetings and report back on what you have learned along with what might be incorporated into our project. State meetings are typically held twice a year. Sign up -
You can get a feel of what transpires at the state level meetings here.
Holiday Social
We hope you all had a wonderful time at the holiday mixer this year. I was thrilled to see everyone having such a good time. Parents, we will have to work something fun for ya’ll too.
COMMITTEE REPORT>>>
We still have some committee items that could use some help getting off the ground or picked up and ran with. If you can help out with any please let us know.
Tack Sale - Ms. Krupinski
FEBRUARY 6 at Wilmot Union High School is the big fundraising day for us. We have a number of donations rolling in thanks to Ms. Hale and Ms. Latino for their hard work and efforts from a local to national level. We encourage you to bring a donation to put in our raffle area. It does not need to be horse related. Horse people do normal people things too. Please let us know if you will be donating and have your donation to us January 31, 2022. There is ALOT of organizing that goes into it.
Make sure you sign up to lend a hand either on Saturday during the setup or on Sunday for the bulk of the day. This is an all hands on deck event. The money raised during this event keeps the wheels turning for our project and allows for educational activities to be done.
Don’t forget you have the opportunity to earn a 4 pony points by meeting the requirements.
Wednesday Night Workouts - Ms. Szplyman
Workouts are every Wednesday evening at the fairgrounds pending weather and begin in June through August before fair. Youth get a group lesson from very experienced amateurs to professional trainers with their horse. No further details at this time. They will come later in the year. If you have a suggestion for an instructor please reach out to her.
Gymkhana Workouts / Clinics - OPEN
At this time we do not believe we have any gymkhana active members. If we misunderstood please email us and let us know ASAP. Gymkhana is for managerial members who go fast and run the timed speed events such as barrel racing, poles, flags, etc.
Mini Camp - Ms. Ellis
Ms. Ellis has some wonderful ideas for mini camp. She is looking to target June. We’ve been tossing around ideas about it and look to be solidifying it soon.
Public Open Horse Show - OPEN
We are seeking a few good volunteers to help revive our horse shows. The leadership team has agreed to one horse show to take place this year. Targeting July 23 or 24 so that it can be enrolled in the Border Run Open Horse Show Round Up circuit to help promote and drive exhibitors.
What does the open horse show entail?
Hiring judges. Ordering awards. Securing grounds with the fairgrounds. Office management of entries. Assembling show bill. Food booth is typically handled by Ms. Krupinski it is her jam and pride and joy. Acquiring volunteers to help setup the morning off, work the office, announce, ring steward, people to manage in and out gates of the arena, someone to hand out awards, etc.
You will not be left high and dry to figure all of this out. Some things just need updating and there are plenty of us to help guide you. A co-coordinator effort is usually a good idea.
Pre-Fair Horse Show - Ms. Moran
This is the dress rehearsal for the fair. It is always the last weekend of July. Requires hiring judge, organization of entries, awards, lunch organization, to name a few. Fairly simplistic and uncomplicated. The show follows the showbill in the fairbook verbatim depending on entries. Ms. Moran will reach out for volunteers to help make this a successful event for our members. This is not for new members only it is for everyone!
Model Horse - OPEN
Volunteers needed to launch this project. Educate youth on model horses and showing. In addition, just enjoying the hobby and possibly making things for your horses and learning about horses through the model horse.
Horse Judging - Ms. Zimmer
Youth learn about how to judge horses and potentially enter horse judging competitions from a local, state and national level. Ms. Zimmer is currently in the approval process for 4-H and will be joining us soon.
Horse Bowl / Hippology - Ms. Stich & Ms. Vanderpool
Updates are coming about this. Combining the two as a horse bowl does cover some of the hippology. Horse bowl is kind of like horse trivia and covers a broad spectrum about the horse from breeds, to health, to veterinary, diet, riding, breeds, etc. You can compete in both horse bowl and hippology at a local, state, and national level.
Field Trips & Activities - Ms. Mizwicki
Extra hands for helping plan and organize the various activities and trips would be helpful to Ms. Mizwicki. Also, if you have any ideas please let her know what you’d like to do.
Horseless Horse - Ms. Schmid
Ms. Schmid will continue to handle the recruitment of buddies and pairing our members with them. If you have a buddy or need a buddy please let us know your status and additional information.
If you know anyone who is interested in becoming a buddy or if you are interested please have them or yourself fill our buddy form.
Make sure if you are a new HH member you attend our member mandatory orientation meeting. Buddy's you'll have your own orientation meeting so you are not left in the dark and get a thorough understanding of the lay of the land.
OUR PROGRAMS >>>
Pony Points
Make sure to get a clean copy of the pony points either pick one up at the meeting or print off. Points roll back to zero as of October 1. Refamiliarize yourself with the program. Remember you need to have a minimum of six points in order to be a member in good standing to participate in the horse show at the fair.
Bring your annual sheet with you to every meeting and keep it in your horse project binder in case you have questions, forgot to fill it out, need help filling it out, etc.
Please find the links to the forms here. Remember Pony Points is our way to make sure our project members continuously learn and also earn the status of a member in good standing in order to show at fair.
Merit Program
The merit program is a wonderful opportunity for you to learn more about horses and ponies. It was developed to help you learn independently and has qualities of the Girl Scout badges.
Members will learn a ton by utilizing and participating in this program. This program in some respects can double and triple dip into your Pony Points yearly sheet to help you become not only a member in good standing but also aid in your overall points for the year towards awards.
NEXT COUNTYWIDE MEETING
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2022
HOUSEKEEPING >>>
Emails MIA?
Don’t forget if you misplace an email or cannot find it you can always find them on our website under the Hay What’s Up page.
Make sure you take a moment to check out our website. Lots of hard work went into creating it just for you! So, you have the information at your fingertips.
Available When You Need Us!
Whether you are new to the project, a few years in, new to showing, etc. we are here to help you out. Feel free to reach out to any of your project leaders. We all have or had horses. We all have shown or are still showing. Our experience ranges from 4-H, open shows, to breed shows. We have tons of knowledge. It can be anything from show apparel - i.e. is this appropriate for fair? Can I wear my helmet in showmanship? I need help finding apparel. To tack - where can I find a used saddle? What is a good brand?
Warm Regards
-js
KEEP UPDATED VIA TEXT
If you want to receive text communications please make sure you sign up by texting @k4hho to the number 81010. Facebook is another alternative to get quick info as well. https://www.facebook.com/Horse4HProgram/
KNOW SOMEONE MISSING OUT ON EMAILS?
If you know someone who is not receiving email communications please forward the email to them or have them email kenoshahorseproject@gmail.com. If you are a parent but the emails go to the youth member please feel free to ask to be added so you are in the loop. Also, the same goes for youth. If you want your email added just let us know.
DON'T FORGET OUR WEBSITE
Don't forget about our website that was put together just for you and is bubbling with information that is accessible right at your fingertips! Bookmark it today! https://kenoshahorse.wixsite.com/horseproject