The Strathmore 4H Rusty Spurs club attended the 4H on Parade event in Calgary last weekend, and they had a strong showing with several members earning awards for their exceptional horsemanship, being:

Madison Bodeux - High Point Level 2

Kaitlyn Klemmensen - High Point Level 3

Sara Waldner - Reserve High Point Level 1

Jessica Wolfs - Reserve High Point Level 7

As a whole, the club also collectively won the Horse Show Large Club Stall Decorating prize, which was awarded to the club with the best stall showcasing their club. For the Rusty Spurs, their booth was Super Mario Bros themed.

Kim Bodeux is the mother of Madison Bodeux, and she explained 4H on Parade is a huge 4H event that hosts many clubs across the province.

"There's beef clubs or sheep clubs, horse clubs, canine clubs, multi clubs, and they're all there to show off their projects that they were working on for the year. Our club from Strathmore is Strathmore Rusty Spurs and they're a horse club and we were there for four days showing off our horses for Western, English, and showmanship classes," she said.

4hBodeux explained the winners received these belt buckles and a big ribbon. For reserve high point they get their ribbon as well as a pendant that's going to get engraved with their horse's face on it.

The High Point Awards the riders won celebrate excellence in many facets of horsemanship, as you have two classes in Western, two classes in English, and then a final class in showmanship. The scores from all five of the classes are added up and the highest scores are the winners. Bodeux said the judges are world-renowned, so having the chance to perform in front of these experts is a great experience.

"After each class the judge will come and give feedback on what some riders did, what they need to improve, why he placed them the way they did and help build their confidence and get them going in the right direction for future shows."

Beyond the benefits of competition and the learning that follows, Bodeux added at the end of the day, it's also just a great weekend for club members to enjoy. 

"It was a lot of fun and the kids learned a lot, it's a good bonding experience for the kids. We all camped down there for the four days and then they all ride together."

The next event the Rusty Spurs have coming up is regionals in July, which will be hosted in Red Deer. Similar to the 4H on Parade event, the upcoming regionals will feature 4H clubs from across the province.

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