By Tyler Painter, Botetourt County 4-H Extension Agent
The annual Horseless Horse Show for Botetourt County 4-H Horse and Pony Club Cloverbuds took place on April 29. Five children ages 5 to 8 years participated in making their own barns and showing their model horses. Not only are creative skills involved in this project, but public speaking is a vital part of presenting to the judge a story about each entry. Members that participated in the show were Brantley Hamilton, Avery Kelly, Ethan Bandy, Payton Dancausse, and Carston Trout.
This year’s judge was Rachel Edwards, a former 4-H Horse and Pony Club member, 2022 James River High School graduate, and published author. As a writer, Edwards said she particularly enjoyed hearing each Cloverbud’s story. Ribbons and prizes were awarded to all.
Horse and Pony Club Cloverbuds meet the last Friday of each month and enjoy learning together about horses and ponies. They visit local horse farms, study breeds of horses, and colors, learn how to groom and care for a pony, as well as identify types of saddles and equipment. Cloverbuds also enjoy attending local horse shows and events. The 4-H Horse and Pony Club is open to any child ages 5 to 18. For information about the 4-H Equine Program, contact the 4-H Extension Office at 540-473-8260.
Botetourt 4-H’s Future Ready Academy
Botetourt County 4-H is proud to offer a unique summer opportunity for current high school students, called Future Ready Academy – Botetourt (FRAB). This will take place on Wednesday, July 20. What is the Future Ready Academy – Botetourt? This program is designed to give insight into businesses, industries, and other future employment opportunities to the youth of Botetourt County. Program participants will take part in professional development training, on-site visits to area businesses and/or face-to-face opportunities with business professionals, and many other activities. There is no registration fee associated with this program.
One of the goals of this program is to allow high school students to see what types of employment opportunities are available locally as they transition out of high school, college, etc. Our application is tailored so that youth can express career fields that they are interested in to assist us in determining what employment opportunities they may eventually be interested in pursuing.
This one-day program is open for current high school students between the ages of 15-18 (minimum age of 15 by July 1, 2022), and have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA. Applications can be found online at https://tinyurl.com/FRAB2022 and are due by no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, June 24. If you are unable to access the online application, contact us and we will make appropriate arrangements.
For more information or if you are interested in applying, contact Tyler Painter, 4-H Extension Agent, at 540-473-8260.
