Six 4-H youth showed off their horse training skills this past weekend at the Halter-started Wild Horse & Burro Event and Adoption Auction at University of Nevada, Reno Equestrian Center. The youth members each received a young wild horse (and one a wild burro) around 1 year old to work with for 100 days.
Competitors showed off their training skills by demonstrating how they have gentled their given horse. These skills range from asking the horse to give their feet for cleaning to waving flags around the horse’s head.
Samantha Szesciorka, known for her use of wild horses on the Nevada Discovery rides, was on hand to judge the horses and handlers. She explained that while the horses have been halter broke and gentled that these equines still had years to go before they could become riding horses. The reason isn’t training but simply their age–they need to finish growing and developing before they can be saddled.
Alexis Martin said she got into the program after seeing friends in the program the previous year. Her one-year-old horse Vinnie was standing by her side. Martin explained that her horse came to her completely untrained but that he was calm and sweet.
The horses where to be auctioned off for adoption at the event, but this was unable to happen. The horses are still up for adoption at a later time.
