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Home4H for HorsesTitle: Celebrating Talent and Achievement at the 2025 4-H State Day in...

Title: Celebrating Talent and Achievement at the 2025 4-H State Day in Vermont

4-H State Day, the capstone event for 4-H, took place on May 17 at the Barre Auditorium in Barre. Talented 4-H club members from throughout the state participated in the 2025 event, demonstrating what they have learned in 4-H through stage performances, action exhibits, fashion revue, illustrated talks, and other activities.

All entries were evaluated, with several chosen to advance to the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts, in September. Selected photos and posters received People’s Choice awards, earning the most votes from visitors to State Day.

Entries that will represent Vermont at Eastern States are:

ACTION EXHIBIT:
Blazing Bridles 4-H Club, Danville (“Lucky Jewelry Hanger.” Participants: Devin Davidson and Eva Lamothe, both from Barnet; Kaylee Demars and Thea Ross, both from St. Johnsbury; Jaida Jenkin, Wheelock); Blazing Bridles 4-H Club, Danville (“Memory Shoes.” Participants: Adriana Holbrook, Hardwick; LeighAnn Judd, Wolcott; Catherine Mangan, Cabot; and Natalie Taylor, Danville; Jenesy Zwart, Barnet); Kingdom Hoofbeats, Derby Line (“Galloping Through Careers.” Participants: Penelope Longe, Newport; Carlie Rondeau, Coventry; and Abby Shelp, Derby); Kingdom Hoofbeats, Derby Line (“Never Refuse to Reuse.” Participants: Quinn Charest, Derby Line, and Alina Phillips, Newport); Kingdom Hoofbeats, Derby Line (“Ouch Pouch.” Participants: Taylor Peck, Sheffield, and Piper Parsons, Derby); Tuff Riders 4-H Club, Rutland Town (“Horse Jumping.” Participants: Anna Campopiano, Thea Chase, and Cecelia Pearson, all from Mount Holly).

DEMONSTRATION (INDIVIDUAL):
Nora Dechen, Rutland (How to Make Recycled Paper); Breeana Garcia, Woodsville, New Hampshire (“How to Do CPR on Your Dog”).

DEMONSTRATION (TEAM):
Ian Kascha-Hare, Milton, and Lane Fortune, Georgia (“Life Cycle of a Chicken–Egg to Hen”).

FASHION REVUE:
Billie Bowdish (summer dress with butterflies and hummingbirds) and Charleigh Wilson (dinosaur print fleece pants), both from Middlebury; Tea Ferris, Jeffersonville (crocheted tunic); Elsie Kidder (blue overalls and a white shirt) and Ophelia Ross (palazzo pants with contrasting pockets), both from Newbury; Sati Lazuli, Corinth (green overalls); Fallyn Norton (rainbow scarf) and Sophia Welch (yellow floral sleeveless top), both from Bridport; Isabelle Spooner, Piermont, New Hampshire (pig print overalls with pig buttons).

ILLUSTRATED TALK:
Caleb Morrison, Danville (“Cats vs. Dogs”); Luke Morrison, Danville (“The Founding of Luke’s Military Museum”); Sophia Welch, Bridport (“Horse Conformation and Common Leg Injuries”).

PHOTOGRAPHY:
Nora Dechen, Rutland (“Endangered Beauty”); Lane Fortune, Georgia (“Curious Chick”); LeighAnn Judd, Wolcott (“Close Up”); Kassie Koehler, Derby (“Winter Wonderland Brown Bear”); Liam Palmer, Williston (“World of Possibilities”); Thea Ross, St. Johnsbury (“It’s Something”); Jenesy Zwart, Barnet (“Through the Clouds”).

POSTERS:
Eva Bury, Derby (“Seasons of Sap”); Charlotte Clark-Lietaur, Williston (“Chickens”); Nora Dechen, Rutland (“Gypsy Vanner Horses”); Lane Fortune, Georgia (“Chatty Chickens”); Aubrie Houle, Vernon (“Tricky Trailering”); Julie Merlo, Swanton (“Training a Sled Dog”).

PROMOTIONAL 4-H VIDEO:
Kaila and Lily Call, Waterford (“Are You Bored, You Need 4-H!”).

SMART SHOPPER:
Anna Campopiano (school concert outfit), Thea Chase (black and white dress), and Cecelia Pearson (ready for Spring outfit), all from Mount Holly; Breeana Garcia, Woodsville, New Hampshire (special occasion outfit); Sati Lazuli, Corinth (Bridgerton-themed silk party dress). For this category, the 4-H’ers used their budgeting skills and understanding of fashion to assemble an outfit for $25 or less.

STAGE PRESENTATION (GROUP):
Remi Barry, Rutland, and Adeline White, Pittsford (vocal duet); Addalynn and Madison Fuller, Lunenburg (dance); Aliza Smith, Tinmouth; Lucia Stubbins, Rutland Town; and Adeline White, Pittsford (puppetry trio).

STAGE PRESENTATION (INDIVIDUAL):
Remi Barry, Rutland (vocal solo); John Crowningshield, Fair Haven (guitar and vocal solo); Madison Fuller, Lunenburg (vocal solo); James Shorey, Fair Haven (two vocal solos and a monologue); Aliza Smith, Tinmouth (vocal solo); Lucia Stubbins, Rutland Town (puppetry); Adeline White, Pittsford (vocal solo).

TABLETOP DISPLAY:
Andrew Guyette, South Burlington (“Raising Baby Chicks”); Rose Guyette, South Burlington (“Granny Squares”); Chace Petrin, Addison (“Lake Champlain”).

4-H State Day was sponsored by University of Vermont Extension 4-H. To learn more about the 4-H program, call the State 4-H Office at (802) 656-7630 or (800) 571-0668 (toll-free in Vermont).

The 4-H State Day, held on May 17 at the Barre Auditorium, showcased the talents of 4-H club members from across Vermont. Participants demonstrated their skills through various activities, including stage performances, action exhibits, fashion revues, and illustrated talks. The event served as a platform for members to highlight what they have learned in 4-H, with several entries selected to advance to the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts, in September.

Notable entries included action exhibits from the Blazing Bridles and Kingdom Hoofbeats clubs, showcasing creative projects like “Lucky Jewelry Hanger” and “Galloping Through Careers.” Individual demonstrations featured topics such as CPR for dogs and the life cycle of chickens, while the fashion revue highlighted unique outfits created by participants. Photography and poster entries also received recognition, with several winning People’s Choice awards based on visitor votes.

The event was sponsored by the University of Vermont Extension 4-H, emphasizing the program’s commitment to youth development and education. For more information about the 4-H program, interested individuals can contact the State 4-H Office.

Previous article

Title: "Finding the Perfect Match: Eden’s Journey to Adopt Rip, the Resilient Quarter Horse"

Eden M. has always loved horses. “She’s been into horses since she was born,” says Eden’s mother, Cheri. “When she was a year old, we’d be in a toy department, and she’d want the toy horses. She had a rocking horse, and at age 4 was into unicorns. Now, at 10, Eden is in a 4-H horse program, and her instructor encouraged us to adopt a horse.”

Cheri and her husband, James, live in Markleton, Pennsylvania, an hour outside of Pittsburgh. They had just begun their search for a horse when one of Cheri’s co-workers suggested they contact the ASPCA.

Cheri and James visited My Right Horse, the ASPCA’s online adoption platform for equines, and noticed Rip Van Winkle, a 15-to-20-year-old American Quarter Horse who was available for adoption at the ASPCA’s Equine Transition and Adoption Center (ETAC) outside Oklahoma City.

“Cheri found Rip’s listing and reached out to me,” says Libby Hanon, manager of equine adoption and marketing at ETAC. “Because Rip has severe allergies to flies, we were making plans to transfer him to a shelter partner up north, where the fly season is much shorter. But we listed him on My Right Horse in the meantime, in case his right family came along, which they did!”

Libby conducted a virtual meet-and-greet, while Cheri says the family continued to look at horses from other states. But they kept coming back to Rip.

“There was just something about him,” Cheri says. “We knew he’d be a good fit for Eden.”

James, a former long-haul truck driver, offered to transport the family to Oklahoma to pick up Rip. “Pulling a trailer was no big deal to James, so we borrowed one from a friend, and everything fell into place,” Cheri says. They adopted Rip on February 28, 2025.

Unsparing Allergies

Rip was surrendered to ETAC by his former owners due to his severe allergies. “They said they had tried everything,” Libby says. “He had rubbed off so much hair that there were only nubbins of his tail hairs left.”

At ETAC, Rip was diagnosed with other allergies in addition to his severe fly bite allergy and prescribed medication that put him on the rebound almost immediately.

The day Eden and her family reached Oklahoma, they met Rip and toured the ETAC facility. The next day, Eden received a lesson with an ETAC trainer and rode Rip for the first time. On the morning of day three, Rip was loaded into the trailer for the 18-hour drive to Pennsylvania.

Happy with Her Right Horse

Rip gets medication in his grain twice daily to manage his allergies, and his mane and tail are growing in. “By show season, he should look okay,” says Cheri, adding that Eden and Rip recently started barrel race training.

Rip’s best friend is Trigger, a Morgan belonging to Eden’s friend Sarah, who lives 20 minutes away. Eden and Sarah ride Rip and Trigger.

“Eden is happy she finally has her horse,” Cheri says. “He’s really good with her — nothing rattles him, and he never seems stressed.”

Cheri says if her family ever wants another horse, they’ll go back to My Right Horse. “We love Rip and will cherish all the time we have with him,” she says. “We discovered there’s a lot of good horses out there.”

Feeling inspired and ready to adopt a horse of your own? Visit myrighthorse.org to browse hundreds of adoptable horses nationwide by breed, age, or discipline.

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