Collegiate judging contest part of APHA outreach program

Nearly 150 students from 20 colleges receive "higher education" from APHA

FORT WORTH, Texas-APHA hosted nearly 150 equine students from 20 universities and junior colleges around the nation for the 2002 APHA Intercollegiate Horse Judging Spring Sweepstakes, held April 18, at the Will Rogers Memorial Center's W.R. Watt Arena, in Fort Worth, Texas.

The horse judging team from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College of Miami, Okla., took top honors in the team and individual portions of the junior college competition for the second year in a row.

Along with winning the performance, halter and reasons portions as a team, Justin McGee of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M repeated the feat in the individual competition and his teammate, Lydia Lawler, was only one step behind, finishing second in all three divisions.

Along with the seven junior colleges that competed, there were multiple teams from 13 senior colleges that took part in the contest. Despite having the senior college high point individual, Amy Fararre, on its team, Purdue University of West Lafayette, Ind., couldn't hold onto its number one team finish from last year. The senior college high point team award went to the Colorado State University team from Fort Collins, Colo.

APHA introduced the program two years ago to help students gain first-hand experience in using the knowledge they've obtained in the classroom to judge horses in the show ring. The students judged nine horse show classes typically included in equine competition. Horses were shown in four halter classes, where they were judged on their physical appearance and structure, and in five performance classes-Western Pleasure, Western Riding, Reining, Hunter Under Saddle and Hunt Seat Equitation.

"We host this event each year for students involved in equine studies at colleges around the nation to give them the opportunity to gain practical experience," said APHA Director of Shows Tina Anderson. "This is a unique opportunity for these students to judge and view some of the top horses in our breed.

"Through this educational outreach program, we also introduce ourselves to future leaders at college campuses around the country."

Anderson explained that students actually compete against one another at the event and are themselves judged by APHA officials on their ability to evaluate the equine classes.

Scores are given for how closely a student's placing of horses matches that of an APHA judging official's scoring. Students were also critiqued on the oral arguments they must present in support of their placement decisions.

Students' scores were broken into three divisions - halter, performance and oral reasons. The teams and individuals were placed under each division, and then the scores were combined for high point team and high point individual awards.

At a dinner reception, which took place later in the evening, awards were presented to the top individuals and top junior and senior college teams.

Hart Trailer Manufacturing of Chickasha, Okla., sponsored the competition and reception.

Award winners included:

Senior Colleges - High Point Teams
1. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., 2,350 points
2. Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., 2,329 points
3. Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., 2,328 points
4. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., 2,307 points
5. Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, 2,286 points

Senior Colleges - High Point Individuals
1. Amy Fararre, Purdue University, 602 points
2. Doug Ross, Kansas State University, 599 points
3. Allison Richard, Oklahoma State University, 595 points
4. Dani Belinski, Colorado State University, 594 points
5. Erin Morrow, Texas A&M University, 588 points

Junior Colleges - High Point Teams
1. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Miami, Okla., 1,799 points
2. Northwest College, Powell, Wyo., 1,722 points
3. Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, Wyo., 1,712 points
4. Black Hawk East, Kewanee, Ill., 1,703 points
5. Clarendon College, Clarendon, Texas, 1,670 points

Junior Colleges - High Point Individuals
1. Justin McGee, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, 610 points
2. Lydia Lawler, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, 608 points
3. Casey Neese, Black Hawk East, 584 points
4. Justin Maxey, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, 581 points
5. Becky Reiter, Northwest College, 581 points

Colleges taking part in the competition included:

Universities
Angelo State University, San Angelo, Texas
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan.
Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M.
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla.
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.
West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas