<I>Submitted photo</I><BR>Wallowa County 4-H members participating in the recent State Horse Classic, left to right, are Brook Greenshields, Emily Howerton, Silje Christoffersen, Cody Arbogast and Morgan Green.

Five intermediate Wallowa County 4-H horse members traveled to Pendleton April 18-19 to compete in the State Horse Classics competition, and one came back a winner.

Cody Arbogast, a seventh grader from Enterprise, took first place in the individual presentation category, beating out nine others around the state.

Four other members made up the horse bowl team and included Joseph freshman Emily Howerton, and Enterprise eighth graders Morgan Green, Silje Christoffersen and Brooke Greenshields.

The annual Horse Classics brings together teams and individuals from counties throughout Oregon to test their equine knowledge in a series of competitions, and gives county presentation winners a chance to give their presentation at the state level.

“I’m really proud of Cody,” said leader Cammie Hale of the 4-H Nez Perce Riders. Arbogast has been a member for four years. “The quality of the presentations at the state level is really high, and to take first place is quite an honor.”

The four-member horse bowl team competed in three events.

Horse Bowl, a tournament conducted in a game show-like format, puts two teams of four against each other. A moderator asks questions, such as “Name three behaviors a western pleasure horse should not do,” and the team who answers correctly first wins two points. Incorrect answers cost the team one point.

The Wallowa County girls lost to Baker County in the fourth round of the tournament, and finished sixth out of 12 teams.

“The girls worked really hard, meeting almost every week since last November,” said Hale. “They did well.”

After Horse Bowl, the girls competed in Hippology, where they were given a scenario, such as “what is involved in purchasing a horse.”

The girls got 20 minutes to prepare their presentation, and had to explain all that would be necessary to purchase a horse, from the horse itself to the property they would need, including tack, vet care, and special clothing and accessories.

The girls came in seventh in the rankings. In judging, the girls observed a group of riders executing a variety of commands and had to rate in order from best to worst how the riders did.

In horse judging 16 teams competed, and the Wallowa County girls ranked ninth.

The girls were chaperoned by Hale and Brinda Stanley, a longtime 4-H leader.

“I’m proud of the team,” said Stanley. “They demonstrated a lot of equine knowledge, and although they didn’t win, they have that knowledge to take with them.”