4-Hers who compete in showmanship spend all year working with their animals in hopes of winning a showmanship title. For those who take the top prize for their species, there’s a higher goal — Master Showmanship.
After three times in the Master Showmanship competition, nine-year 4-H member, Emma DeJong, 17, took home the coveted title on Thursday. Her win was more than just a personal victory, she was proud to be the third person ever from the horse project to win the title.
Going into the contest, DeJong had a goal to not let the title slip through her fingers for a third time. DeJong spent every day of the fair working with her friends from other animal projects and focusing on a new animal.
“I have a lot of friends in the other barns, so I just went and asked them for help and worked on it for a little bit every night,” DeJong said. “I’ve done it in the past so I already had a little bit of knowledge.”
The six exhibitors representing the top showmen of each large animal at the fair, all take turns showing each animal, typically borrowing animals from other 4-H members. For each phase of the competition, a judge with expertise in each species observes the competitor’s handling skills and asks them questions.
By the middle of the competition, DeJong said she felt like she was doing well overall, but because she’s the most familiar with standards for horse showmanship, she wasn’t completely sure what the judge for each animal was looking for.
“You learn everything so fast. So, you know, I also had a lot of good animals, which was really, really a plus,” DeJong said. “I did think I did pretty good, but, I mean, you never know.”
When her name was called, she couldn’t believe it.
“I was a little shocked. I was very, very happy of course, and I could just think, ‘Oh my gosh,’ because I’m in the horse barn and [winning the contest] doesn’t happen. I’m only the third one of the whole entire fair,” DeJong said. “It’s hard for the horse representative to do well, and you know, I finally got it for my barn, got it for those little girls out there to have something to look up to.”
DeJong wasn’t the only one blown away by the feat. Amber Wolfe, a family friend and an agriculture teacher at Indian Creek, jumped up with tears in her eyes when she heard the news.
Wolfe knew the competition was close between DeJong and some other competitors. And knowing all too well how hard it is for horse handlers to win, Wolfe said she was on the edge of her seat. Once she heard the news, she was overwhelmed with pride.
“When they said, ‘For the third time ever representing the horse barn…’ I knew Emma had won,” Wolfe said. “I was so ridiculously proud, I was in tears.”
Wolfe explained that it’s difficult for horse barn representatives to win because they don’t usually step into other barns and learn about other animals. DeJong also said that the judging for horse showmanship is different, with judges using a point system instead of opinions.
Wolfe’s daughter and DeJong grew up together, so for Wolfe, DeJong is like another one of her kids. Watching her go through the competition multiple times over, Wolfe said she was proud of DeJong and the other competitors purely for their initiative.
“You have to really have the initiative to find other knowledgeable people in the other barns and be brave enough to say, ‘Would you help me learn to show sheep in 48 hours?’ Sometimes they don’t know anyone from another barn and have to have the initiative to ask for help,” Wolfe said.
On Wednesday evening, the night before the contest, she saw other contestants out in the horse arena learning how to show horses for the first time.
“They all really rely on each other, it’s just amazing,” she said.
Under bright lights in the hot heat, competitors have to learn to build trust with their animals on the fly, all while keeping their composure. With a large crowd watching the show, it can be scary for competitors. Despite this, Wolfe said all the kids were extremely impressive, showing professional sportsmanship.
“They all congratulated Emma and took photos with her because they knew what it meant for her to win,” Wolfe said.
