CHS senior competes in 4-H Eastern Nationals

Canton High School senior Dara D’Agostino (second from right) with members of the Massachusetts 4-H horse judging team in front of a statue of Barbaro, winner of the 2006 Kentucky Derby, at the famed Churchill Downs race track in Lexington, Kentucky

Most people think of the Kentucky Derby when they hear the name Churchill Downs. But for CHS senior Dara D’Agostino, that name evokes a whole array of memories and emotions that date back to January 2011 and only ended this past month with a trip to one of the most famous horse tracks in America.

D’Agostino, a ten-year member of 4-H and current president of the Minnie Whinnies 4-H Club of Sharon, was selected to represent the state at the Eastern Nationals 4-H Horse Round-Up in Lexington, Kentucky, in November.

As D’Agostino explained, “Every January, the 4-H council provides a series of competitions for its members who are interested in horses. There are three categories: Hippology, which includes the anatomy and care of horses; Horse Bowl, which is a Jeopardy-like test of horse knowledge; and Horse Judging, which rates members on their abilities to judge a horse show.”

Competitions begin in January with written tests. Those who do well enough advance to the county and then the state levels. D’Agostino qualified for Horse Judging and Horsebowl. She advanced to the county team and then beat out more than 40 other participants by placing third in the state to finally make the National Horse Judging Team in late March.

Practices began in earnest once school got out. The words commitment and dedication came up over and over again, D’Agostino remembered, as she described what it was like to have to give up her family vacation and miss out on other cherished summer activities in order to fulfill the requirements and to practice what she would ultimately be judged on in Kentucky.

The Massachusetts team consists of four members each year, and this year’s team came from all over the state. Their coach is a volunteer, usually another 4-H club member who has extensive horse knowledge and experience as a judge. D’Agostino praised her coach, Carolyn Ritter of Ware, who is a teacher by day but is also an award-winning rider of Morgans and a 4-H club leader.

“Carrie was absolutely fantastic,” D’Agostino said. “She knows so much and I learned an enormous amount from her.”

One of the most important things that Ritter taught her team was that horse judging is an art, and the only way to improve is to practice. There are two basic categories: in hand (the horse is being led) and under seat (the horse is being ridden). Within each of these broad categories there are hundreds of subsets of variations by breed or by class, including hunter/jumper, reining, horsemanship, and hunter under saddle.

The competitors had no idea what they would be called upon to judge when they got to Kentucky, so they had to be prepared for any and all possibilities.

“Luckily the first afternoon when we arrived in Kentucky, Carrie had us watch a two-hour video of Saddlebred classes,” D’Agostino said. “It was a good thing we did that, because we actually had to judge a reining class and I wouldn’t have known how to do it if not for that practice.”

On the Saturday of their weekend in Kentucky, the team went to the Broadbent Arena, part of the huge exposition center adjacent to Churchill Downs, where they had to judge eight classes, four in confirmation or in hand, and four performance or with riders.

“The confirmation classes are not unlike dog shows,” D’Agostino explained. “You are judging the horse on how it looks, whether it fulfills the requirements of its breed, its structure and general appearance. The performance classes are a bit more interesting for me because I also ride. Here we are looking at how the rider does, how well they complete the course, adhere to the pattern, control their horse and generally look in the saddle.”

Judges are allowed to take notes as they view the different classes, and these notes become essential when they retire to a special room to prepare their oral reasons.

“Oral reasons have to be written using a specific formula,” D’Agostino said. “The reasons have to support your choices, they must incorporate the specialized vocabulary, and they have to be memorized.”

This was the part of the competition that D’Agostino found the most daunting. “After being given about 20 minutes to compose our reasons, we then had to go into a small room, by ourselves, and face a panel of judges,” she said. “It is important to maintain eye contact, remain composed, speak clearly but not too quickly, and the reasons must be given in the correct order. I was definitely glad when that part of the process was over.”

The judges usually do not respond or react in any way. However, the hunter judge actually stopped D’Agostino to tell her what a good job she had done. “That was a real high point of the trip for me,” she said.

Once the actual competing was over, the team was able to relax and enjoy their surroundings. “Going to Churchill Downs is every horse lover’s dream,” D’Agostino said. “We were able to watch part of the Breeders Cup races, which were going on during our time there. It was exciting to be so close to the horses and to realize that people actually do wear suits, fedoras, dresses with high heels and big hats.”

Sunday morning brought the awards brunch. “We weren’t expecting to place,” D’Agostino recalled. “Some of the southern states prepare all year long. We were surprised and pleased to learn that we placed eighth out of 24 teams. We also received special recognition and placed fifth in performance classes and tenth in confirmation classes. We were all just really excited.”

Once back in Massachusetts, D’Agostino reflected on the months of preparation and studying as well as the many things she experienced during those four event-filled days in Lexington.

“Being a member of the state team has certainly increased my knowledge of different horse breeds, styles of riding and horse judging in general,” she said. “As a rider who hopes to be on a collegiate equestrian team, if I know what the judges are looking for then I can improve my own performance.”

As for all of the time spent at practices, D’Agostino acknowledged that “it’s difficult when you can’t be doing what your friends are doing.”

“But this was an experience I will always remember,” she said. “Nothing can replace it.”

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Posted by Guest on Dec 7 2011. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.