OklahomaHorses Magazine September 2021

September/October 2021 • OklahomaHorses 11 Lindsay Bippus Real Estate Broker / Owner 12342 E. 86th St. N. | Owasso 74055 (918) 706-3857 dreammakerrealtyok.com Looking to buy or sell a horse property in the greater Owasso area? Hand the reins to Lindsay Bippus at DreamMaker Realty, Owasso’s equine property specialist! who have won this class in the past, so I really didn’t want to let her down,” Addison said. Designed to develop young horsemen, the class comes with some strict rules. Horses are nominated for the class by a certain date and can be ridden and worked with only by the showman. “The idea behind the class is that kids are learning how to train and develop a young horse,” said Dr. Kris Hiney, Oklahoma State University Equine Extension Special- ist. “We expect that kids will reach out for help when they need it, but they’re the ones doing the work to cultivate that project.” Most participants in the program are high school age, but the 2021 class saw the young guns emerge. Hiney thinks 12-year- old Coy Morgan is the youngest 4-H mem- ber to participate in the class so far. More Than Rail Work Riders first enter the arena to complete the rail work portion of the class. After that, they are allowed three helpers to untack and prepare the horse for the showmanship portion. “We kept the format of the class the same, but we altered some things a little bit last year,” Hiney said. “Not everyone has a western pleasure horse, and we wanted to open the class up to any type of horse. So now they can ride in any style: western, English, or ranch type.” Of the five contestants in this year’s class, each style was represented. And a majority of the two-year-olds were shown in other classes throughout the show. “It’s a unique opportunity to compare the skills of the riders because we aren’t judging them on the horse as much,” Hiney explained. “The judges are instructed to select the winner based on the level of training they see.” When it was all said and done, it came down to the tiebreaker. Addison had won the rail work portion of the class and was second in showmanship. The scores nat- urally lean toward placing more emphasis on rail work, which essentially makes it the tiebreaker. “Winning this class was a dream come true for me,” Addison said. “I plan to keep on showing Lizzie, but next year I’ll have another two-year-old, and I hope my brother will be doing this class with me.” Addison’s time in the show pen wouldn’t be possible without the unwavering support of her parents, Brad and Lori Criner, and her grandparents, Troy and Sherry Eutsler and Rusty and Linda Criner. During the two-year-old class at the 2021 Oklahoma State 4-H Horse Show, exhibitors were allowed to use three helpers to untack their horses and prepare for the showmanship portion. Photo by JDewbre Photo.